Drumsticks

1875-1900; Delaware; Wood and pigment; height 49 cm (19 5/8 in.); Founders Society Purchase, Dabco Frank American Indian Art Fund, and Henry Ford II Fund; 1983.28

Both the pair of Drumsticks and the Bowl are carved with images that address the differences between male and female. Many Native American cultures recognize the complementary and yet different social roles of men and women in community life. This mutual dependency extends to religious ritual, as acknowledged by the male and female faces carved in the drumsticks used for the most sacred episodes of the Delaware Big House ceremony.

JPEG, 31K