The Ahoko is a traditional
percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...
originating from the central part of
Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...
(Côte d'Ivoire) in
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...
.
The ahoko is a wooden rod with
nutshells, each containing loose seeds, tied to strings which are then tightly wound around the end of the rod. The percussive sound can range from quiet to very loud.
In the
Hornbostel–Sachs
Hornbostel–Sachs or Sachs–Hornbostel is a system of musical instrument classification devised by Erich Moritz von Hornbostel and Curt Sachs, and first published in the in 1914. An English translation was published in the '' Galpin Society Jo ...
system it is categorised as 112.13 as a
vessel rattle
Struck idiophones is one of the categories of idiophones (that is, any musical instrument that creates sound primarily by the instrument as a whole vibrating—without the use of strings or membranes) that are found in the Hornbostel-Sachs system ...
, a type of
indirectly struck idiophone
Struck idiophones is one of the categories of idiophones (that is, any musical instrument that creates sound primarily by the instrument as a whole vibrating—without the use of Strings (music), strings or Acoustic membrane, membranes) that are fo ...
.
Notable performers
*
Antoinette Konan
Antoinette Konan (born January 1, 1960) is an Ivorian singer.
Born in Béoumi to musician parents, Konan is a member of the Baoulé people. She studied music at the conservatory in Abidjan. She is known for her eponymous debut album, published in ...
See also
*
Music of Africa
Given the vastness of the African continent, its music is diverse, with regions and nations having many distinct musical traditions. African music includes the genres amapiano, Jùjú, Fuji, Afrobeat, Highlife, Makossa, Kizomba, and others. The ...
References
External links
List of musical instruments: Encyclopedia II - List of musical instruments - Percussion instrumentslists the ''ahoko'' as an ''other percussion instrument'', i.e. not a drum.
''Juju Seed Rattle. Description: Also called Ahoko. Nutshells are attached at the end of a wooden handle to make a full resonant rattle sound. Effects range from a very loud tone when shaken strongly, to a quiet rattle when the handle is barely turned.''
Struck idiophones
Ivorian musical instruments
Hand percussion
African percussion instruments
Unpitched percussion instruments
{{Rattle-stub