This is an unusual circa 1890-1900’s turtle shell rattle from the Southeastern Native American Indians and from the Bruce VanLandingham Sundog collection. The piece exhibits a full sized turtle shell with hand drilled pierced holes, a tie of Indian tanned hide and filled with stones, early metal bottle caps and whatever else could be found at the time. These pieces in this form with the drilled holes and no handle are documented as originating from the Southeastern tribes being worn around the legs for the “stomp dance”. Turtle shell gorget and rattles with the similar drilled pierced hole pattern have been documented as being used by Indigenous peoples of the Americas in the southeastern United States back to the Archaic (circa 8000-1000 BC) through Mississippian periods (circa 800-1500) typically with Eastern box turtle (Terrapene Carolina shells. For an example see catalog number 2011.27.26.1 from the McClung Museum of National History and Culture, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee. The piece could very likely be of a substantially earlier age with the metal bottle caps being a later addition, as remnants were commonly used in Native American culture. The bottom has a collection museum number of MI-2895 and is in the Sundog Bruce VanLandingham catalog as being a 19th Century example. Provenance: Provenance: From the renowned Sundog Fine Art Bozeman, Montana collection and collected by Bruce VanLandingham. Bruce VanLandingham was a pillar in the American Indian collecting community and a respected expert. Along with being an avid collector, Bruce also was the sole owner of Sundog Fine Art Gallery in Bozeman, which was both part museum and gallery. Condition is very good and measures 5 1/8”L by 4.25”W by 3”D with an additional approx. 6”L hide tie. Museum collection number: E1046.