The shekere (from

Yoruba The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...

Ṣẹ̀kẹ̀rẹ̀) is a West African

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 ...

consisting of a dried

gourd Gourds include the fruits of some flowering plant species in the family Cucurbitaceae, particularly ''Cucurbita'' and ''Lagenaria''. The term refers to a number of species and subspecies, many with hard shells, and some without. One of the earli ...

with beads or cowries woven into a net covering the gourd. The Shekere originated in a tribe in Nigeria called the Yoruba. The instrument is common in West African and Latin American folkloric traditions as well as some of the popular music styles. In performance it is shaken and/or hit against the hands. The shekere is made from vine gourds that grow on the ground. The shape of the gourd determines the sound of the instrument. A shekere is made by drying the gourd for several months then removing the pulp and seeds. After it is scrubbed, skillful bead work is added as well as colour.

Varieties

Throughout the African continent there are similar gourd/bead or gourd/seed percussion instruments. Some are the ''lilolo'',

axatse The axatse( /ˈɑː.hɑː.tʃeɪˌ/ or /ˈɑː.hɑː.tseɪˌ/) is a West African rattle-like percussion instrument. The axatse is traditionally a dried gourd, wrapped in a beaded net. The axatse originated in Ghana, Togo and in the Volta Region by ...

(

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

), ''djabara'' (

Guinea Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...

), ''ushàkà'', ''chequere'' and ''saa saa'' (

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...

). The agbe is a gourd drum with cowrie shells and is usually strung with white cotton thread. The axatse is a small gourd, held by the neck and percussed between hand and leg. In Liberia, the net has a long "tail" through which the beads are manipulated. In Cuba, the chekeré, also known as ''aggué'' (

abwe An abwe or chekeré is a Cuban musical ensemble that uses gourds. It is a product of ''cabildos'', historical congregations of African slaves brought to Cuba. See also * music of Cuba * slavery * Caribbean music Caribbean music genres are ...

), is a large, hollow gourd (~50 cm long, approx. in) almost entirely surrounded by a network of cords, to which many coloured beads are attached. Widely used in

Afro-Cuban Afro-Cubans or Black Cubans are Cubans of West African ancestry. The term ''Afro-Cuban'' can also refer to historical or cultural elements in Cuba thought to emanate from this community and the combining of native African and other cultural ele ...

sacred and popular music, it may be twisted, shaken or slapped producing a subtle variety of effects; musically, it is more flexible than

maracas A maraca (), sometimes called shaker or chac-chac, is a rattle which appears in many genres of Caribbean and Latin music. It is shaken by a handle and usually played as part of a pair. Maracas (from Guaraní ), also known as tamaracas, were r ...

. In Brazil, this African gourd rattle is called a xequerê. It consists of the gourd (''cabaça'') cut in the middle and then wrapped in a net in which beads or small plastic balls are threaded. The

afoxé The afoxé is an Afro Brazilian musical instrument composed of a gourd Gourds include the fruits of some flowering plant species in the family Cucurbitaceae, particularly ''Cucurbita'' and ''Lagenaria''. The term refers to a number of spec ...

is a similar, smaller instrument.

References

External links

Video of this instrument being played
{{Authority control Unpitched percussion instruments West African musical instruments Bissau-Guinean musical instruments Brazilian percussion Burkinabé musical instruments Cuban musical instruments Gambian musical instruments Guinean musical instruments Ivorian musical instruments Malian musical instruments Senegalese musical instruments Idiophones Gourd musical instruments