Rattle Drum

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This Rattle Drum comes from a tribe of Native American People. It is called a drum because it has a stretched skin head, but the sound is produced by tiny pellets that rattle inside the drum when it is shaken. Rattle drums and rattles are widely used by Native American People, especially for ceremonial purposes.

Family
Percussions
Pitch range
None.
Material
Wooden frame, with skin heads and rattling pellets, commonly seeds or maize kernels.
Size
18 in (46 cm) long.
Origins
The rattle drum is a Native American instrument. Since prehistoric times, the rattle drum has been played by the Plains Indians during fertility rites, which were designed to promote the growth of corn.
Classification
Membranophone: an instrument that produces its sound by the vibration of a stretched skin.
And also...
Many of the Native American rattle drums and rattles are so beautifully and elegantly decorated that they are widely regarded as objects of art in their own right.

picture of Rattle Drum