ArtFire

Hand held gourd rattle for meditation & Neoshamanic ceremony use. Attractive native style features genuine fox tail fur and grouse feathers with the sound being created from the gourd seeds inside being shaken; sounds similar to one of the plastic hand held egg shaped shakers found at music stores. Though this item is attractive to display it is considered as a tool for ritual use and so metaphysical energy has been taken into consideration during crafting for "balance".

How It Was Made:
A gourd was hand selected from the growing field for this purpose. It was dried and shaken occasionally during this stage to loosen the material inside. The natural surface was scuff sanded with a bit of granite rather than sandpaper. A dark paint was rubbed into the marks cut in by the rubbing stone. After buffing with a soft cloth, a lighter paint was rubbed into the entire surface of the gourd then buffed off for a nice oak tone. The gourd was then sealed with several coats of durable gloss varnish. The feather bundle is held together with white mohair, glue, and a crimped brass cone. This was then inserted into the gourd stem and topped off with a strip of leather matching the color of the rattle.

* The fox fur in this piece is from a pelt purchased many years ago from a government sanctioned culling program. It has been blessed on the altar mound of a Lakota Inipi Ceremony, with the understanding that it would be used to craft spiritual items in the future. Please contact me if you'd like to know more about the energy associated with this fur.

natural, gourd, paint, varnish, glue, mohair, brass, fur, fox, feathers, grouse, leather

Shipped in the USA by Priority Mail. Other countries may restrict the import of natural materials, so check locally and contact me if you're an international shopper.