The dew claw rattle is thought to be an ancient form. Adopted by proto-historic Plains groups (1400-1750AD), the rattle’s basic unchanging form – a haft with dangling dew claw attachments – may have originated in Southern Plains or Southwest.

One of earliest detailed accounts of their use on the Plains, however, comes in the 1830s on the Upper Missouri River region. Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied (1782-1867) encountered a group of Mandan and Hidatsa “Dog Soldiers” near Fort Clark equipped with such rattles.

Several Plains tribes had Dog Societies. However, for the Cheyenne and Arapaho, who cultivated one the most revered and esteemed Dog societies, and from whom the most well-documented dew claw rattles have been collected, the instrument played a critical militaristic role.

Such Dog Soldier rattles from his period are rare. Many were collected early on and are accompanied by robust provenance and publication histories. One such example resides in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC (#E1925-0), collected in 1855 by Lt. Governor K. Warren and accessioned into the National Museum Natural History in 1859); and another can be found in the Museum für Völkerkunde, in Vienna, Austria (Inv. Nr. 163.382).

The rattle here also has a substantial collection history, having been first collected before 1889 and subsequently bequeathed to the Chicago Historical Society (Acc. # B-218-1H) from 1920-1977. This is truly a rare an important object.

26” long (overall); accompanied by a custom stand

Ex Charles Frederic Gunther, IL (likely collected before 1889); ex Chicago Historical Society, IL (collected 1920-1977, Acc. # B-218-1H); ex Arnold Marcus Chernoff, IL (collected 1977-1985); ex James Scoville, IL (collected 1985-2019).

Exhibited: 1889-1899, probably on display at the Libby Prison Museum, Chicago IL; 1899, possibly on display at the “Great American Expo Fair”, Omaha, NE

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