Bullroarer

About this object

History of use

Used to call rain. It was given to boys at the end of the sacred season by kachinas.

Cultural context

ceremonial

Iconographic meaning

Red (south) corn plant and yellow (north) kiva are important symbols representing the primary crop and important ceremonial structure, respectively.

Physical description

Thin, flat, wooden rectangle painted bright colours; one end comes to a round point with a small hole at centre of the point. One side has a blue background with yellow geometric shapes outlined in red. The other side is painted blue with dark red diagonal strips.