Necklace Zulu Ankle Rattles Historically and prehistorically, humans have processed and refashioned many natural materials or objects to make containers, the most familiar examples being baskets and pottery. Although moth cocoons have been mainly exploited for their silk to produce fabrics, they also have been used whole in the construction of a variety of artifacts.
Some moth cocoons are very tough and, if kept dry, are preserved for long periods of time.
To people without access to synthetic manufactured products, some kinds of cocoons make compact and strong containers, ready to be used in a variety of ways. Cocoons of several species of saturniid moths and other families have been used to make hand rattles, ankle rattles, necklaces, purses or other artifacts in cultures around the world. Although Native American usage from the western United States is now historic, indigenous peoples in Africa and Mexico continue to use moth cocoons. Historic hand rattles from California utilized cocoons of Hyalophora euryalus. The ankle rattles from northwestern Mexico are made from cocoons of Rothschildia cincta, Eupackaria calleta, Hyalophora columbia gloveri, or Antheraea montezuma.