Handmade sistrum composed of split tree limb and tin can: Museum Object and Cultural History
Handmade sistrum composed of split tree limb and tin can: Date: 1920-1930s. Created by: Unidentified. Type: sistra.
The object in the museum catalogue
Hand-made wooden sistrum with a single handle at bottom. The instrument is made from a tree limb that is split into a fork. Attached at the top is a smaller branch joining the forks. In the middle of the fork are two (2) rows of flattened bottle caps created with strung wire. The bottom row of rattles has five (5) caps and the top row of rattles has seven (7) caps. There is some flaking of the bark, and the bottle caps are rusting and have sticky accretions.
Materials, dates and provenance
- Date: 1920-1930s
- Created by: Unidentified
- Type: sistra
- Medium: wood , tin and tin alloy
- Dimensions: H x W x D: 16 3/4 × 6 7/8 × 1 5/8 in. (42.5 × 17.5 × 4.1 cm)
- Place collected: St. Mary's, Camden County, Georgia, United States, Sea Islands, North and Central America
- Topic: African American
- Topic: Folk (Music)
- Topic: Folklife
- Topic: Music
- Object number: 2014.312.108
- Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Oprah Winfrey
- Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture
Sources and reuse
Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: No Known Copyright Restrictions Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
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