RATTLES

RattleHead Personal Medicine Rattles are all handmade of the finest natural materials. I listen to the wood and make every rattle its own unique self.

THE HANDLES are harvested from downed trees where I live in the north Georgia mountains. My favorite wood handles are Sassafras, Cedar, Hickory, Maple, Birch and Honeysuckle. Sometimes the handles are straight, or crooked, or branched; often carved leaving natural features. The wood is frequently complemented by stone inlay. My favorites are dark blue Lapis Lazuli, green Malachite, light blue Turquoise and adobe colored Pipestone. On smaller rattles I often add a wrist strap made of buckskin, with a gemstone beads.

THE DRIED GOURDS are opened at both ends and then emptied of all pulp and seeds. I replace the seeds with seeds (popcorn). When ordering a ‘custom rattle’, you have the opportunity to put tiny pocorn kernal sized pieces of ‘your medicine’ (stones, gems, crystals, herbs) inside the gourd. This literally places your medicine inside your medicine rattle. The gourds are sometimes adorned with either colorful alcohol ink treatment; or the surface may be embossed with designs using a woodburning tool.

THE SOUND created by these rattles varies quite a bit. There is no one way to play these rattles! Hold them by the handle, hold them by the gourd. Shake using your shoulder, or your elbow, or your wrist, or just the nodding of a few fingers. Alternate soft and hard shakes to create many rhythms and patterns. Hold it vertically, slanted or horizontally, and you will notice subtle differences in the sounds you create. These are not made to be loud musician’s shakers (though many musicians use them).

NECK BAGS and POUCHES

RattleHead Leather Bags are all hand made by Aumdoc. All the leather is traditionally hand-tanned by folks I know. It is so much nicer than commercially tanned leather (IMHO).

THE LEATHER is exclusively deerskin that has been hand tanned in various ways. Mostly I use soft and sensual Buckskin suede leather. It comes in various tones from very light tan to darker brown. Other hand tanning methods result in a ‘finished’ smooth surface leather. The leather may be dyed by various natural sources like Hemlock Bark (dark brown) or Pecan Hulls (tan like pecans). I love combining the different leathers in various ways.

THE NECK BAG (sometimes referred to as a ‘medicine bag’) hangs around the neck, sitting on the chest. It is meant to hold your personal special secret treasures close to your heart! My neck straps are braided buckskin and hemp cord (in various combinations and colors). They are bound with an adjustable bead to alter length. After adjustment, the ends of the cord can be trimmed and re-tied if desired. Neckbags close using fancy glass, or shell, buttons through a button hole or with a loop around the button Some have a drawstring closure (see below). These bags may be hand sewn with an awe, or laced together using long strips of buckskin.

THE DRAWSTRING POUCH has no neckstrap, though it does hold your treasures well. Usually round in dimension with a top that pulls open and shut. Open by pulling apart the leather tags, or matching beads. Close by pulling apart the different colored beads. Sweet and easy! The bags might be hand stitched with an awe, or laced with cord of buckskin. The stitching may show, or the bag might have been inverted to hide the stitching.

OTHER GOODS

Other items I make would include SMUDGE WANDS, GOURD BOWLS and GOURD OIL LAMPS, FLUTE BAGS, CLICK STICKS. These items are intermittently available. The Smudge Wands are made with feathers from Wild Turkey or Pheasant.