kwa̱xa̱da̱n (Raven Rattle)

Used in tlha'sala: dLugwala dancers.

A number of Kwakwaka'wakw artists agree that this rattle was made by Bob Harris (Xixa’niyus, c. 1865–c. 1930; Da’naxda’xw).

ceremonial

Hardwood rattle with the top piece in the form of a raven that has a reclining figure on its back connected to a frog by a protruding tongue and the bottom piece in the shape of a rounded semi-oval emphasized by a bird's face with a recurved beak. Handle is bound with brown string with brass tubing also bound to the handle. Raven has black ovoid in ovoid eyes surrounded by a tapering oval and a green area. The nostrils are a black circle outlined by white on a black beak with an open red mouth and tongue. At either side of the neck, there are two black outlined u forms that have a pair of green, white, and red u forms within. The back is black with red wings that have three sets of downward angled diagonal red lines outlined by black with a white circle at the tip. The tail has an upward curving red ovoid outlined by black from which emanate four feathers that have a black u form that has a white rectangle within and separated by a vertical red line. The reclining human on top has its head resting on an inverted red bordered dark blue split u. The human has a red body and a black face with circular black eyes surrounded by a green area with black brows above and a black line around the mouth where the red tongue of the green frog connects. Connected to the back of the frog, there is a bird head that is part of the raven's upraised tail. The bird's black head has black eyes surrounded by a white area with a green beak. The bottom piece that is the belly of the raven has a face with black ovoid in ovoid eyes surrounded by a tapering oval and a green area with a curving red line above and a pair of inverted green u forms on top, a black beak nose, and an open red mouth showing four white teeth. Below, there is another pair of similar eyes with a red line underneath.