Featured here is a wonderful sample of musical creativity in this gourd rattle from Central Africa. It is called a shaker. The base is a hollowed out gourd with some stones or seeds inside to make a rattle sound. Attached to the gourd is a wooden piece shaped like a “Y”, which serves as the handle for this rattle. A creative addition to this traditional musical instrument is the addition of a string or wire between the two ends of the wood handle, on which is strung several flattened pop can caps. These make a second rattle sound when played. The whole thing is topped off with a collar decoration around the neck of the gourd, which I was told is made of monkey hair but I really think its from goat. This item is 17” long by 9” wide. |