A Kiowa “Little Moon” Native American Church Gourd Rattle with Incised Wooden Grip, Geometric Beadwork, and Feather Finial. Southern Plains.

A vividly decorated Kiowa rattle with a rounded amber-brown gourd, a crosshatched wooden grip, and bands of finely arranged glass beadwork. The gourd is mounted toward the upper end of the shaft, above an exposed grip densely incised with a diamond lattice. Narrow encircling grooves define the ends of this carved section, giving a clear transition between the textured wood and the adjoining beadwork.

Blue-ground beaded panels incorporate stepped bands of red, orange, yellow, green, and lighter blue, with white outlines sharpening their contours. Small, scattered accents of contrasting color enliven the intervening fields. Related ornament covers the short projection above the gourd, which supports a spreading cluster of multicolored feathers. A long fall of pale hide fringe extends from the lower end.

The handling of surface is especially accomplished. The smooth, reflective gourd, sharply cut wooden lattice, and minute rows of beads offer three markedly different textures, each confined to a clearly defined portion of the instrument. The varied colors of the feather finial repeat those of the beadwork without imposing the same geometric order.

This combination of gourd, wood, glass beads, feathers, and twisted hide fringe is well documented in the ceremonial instruments of the Southern Plains. 

A particularly attractive rattle, distinguished by its finely crosshatched grip and the close correspondence between its richly colored beadwork and feather ornament.