Not food scraps after all: turtle shells as Native American musical instruments

September 8, 2018.

Amy Smith wrote a brief article on New Historian.com. She summarizes about how recent research has discovered that turtle shells were used for more than just food.

In the past, turtle shells found at archaeological sites have often been dismissed as food remains. However, in an article published in academic journal PLOS One, Professor of Anthropology, Tanya Peres, says these turtle shells were used as rattles and other musical instruments. Gillreath-Brown, a doctoral candidate from Washington State University, says "Turtle shell rattles provide deep insights into human-environment and animal relationships." He also says, "this symbology and belief is imbued into the turtle shell rattles, which are meant to keep rhythm and thereby interjects powerful symbology and spiritual energy into dances and ceremonies." 

The research draws upon turtle shell rattles that have been discovered throughout North America; from Florida to the north east, and all the way up to Canada. Each region is likely to attribute different meaning and levels of importance to these rattles; but their presence in such a widespread group of localities demonstrates that turtle shells were important to creating rhythm in ceremonies across prehistoric North America. 

- PLOS One.

For more Information,

Visit:

• "An experimental study of turtle shell rattle production and the implications for archaeofaunal assemblages"
• Andrew Gillreath-Brown & Tanya M. Peres, PLOS One, August 2, 2018.
• Shell Shakers: Stomp Dance Rhythm-Makers
• Chickasaw.TV
• Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma Stomp Dance
• Newark Earthworks Center Youtube, 2014
• The Native American Box Turtle Connection
• St. Louis Zoo, 2016.
• Eastern Box Turtle
• Indiana Department of Natural Resources
• Eastern Box Turtle
• Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia
• Woodland Box Turtle
• Ohio IDNR Division of Wildlife
• "Turtle shells served as symbolic musical instruments for indigenous cultures"
• Kathleen Hauhney, Phys.org, September 5, 2018.
• "Turtle shells served as symbolic musical instruments for indigenous cultures"
• Science Daily, September 5, 2018.
• "North American Indigenous Peoples Used Turtle Shells as Symbolic Musical Instruments"
• SciNews, September 11, 2018.
• "Cherokee Dance Rattles | Sounds and Motion in Museum Objects: Cherokee Stomp Dance Ankle Band Rattles"
• Penn Museum, 2015.
• "OSU Student Adventures in Collections: Part 5"
• Lauryn Platt, Ohio History Connection Archaeology Blog, 2014.
• Proctorville Village Site, Dr. Deanna Grimstead, The Ohio State University.
• "Eastern Shawnee tribe shares history, culture with teens"
• Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, The Newark Advocate, 2012.
• Bridging Cultures Webinar: the History of Stomp Dance [no longer available]
• August 2014.