

Vessel rattle representing Raven, made of carved wood and painted with red and black pigments. It was collected from the Haida of Haida Gwaii. British Columbia.
Raven rattle made by the Haida people of the Pacific coast of British Columbia. The Raven is an important character in Haida mythology: he stole the sun from heaven and brought it to the people who lived on the earth. The rattle must always point downwards, or the Raven might escape and fly back to heaven, taking the sun with him.