In which folkloric traditions is the musical instrument shekere common?
The shekere is a West African percussion instrument consisting of a dried gourd with beads or cowries woven into a net covering the gourd. 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 color.
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7 Comments
Mark G. Feeney
African is too generic an answer in my book. There are 54 countries on the continent, each with many cultures.
John W Shreve
Player, You bet. Most of Africa was controlled by the UK, France, Portugal, and Belgium. Part of Morocco was Spanish but I believe Italy had been ousted from Ethiopia and "Somaliland."
Player
John W Shreve, there was probably a lot more before the colonial powers wreaked havoc.
Gwyn Hill
It is also common in Latin American folk lore traditions
John W Shreve
Mark G. Feeney, I had a book when I was 11 titled 𝐾𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑌𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑. There weren't more than 10 independent African nations then.
John W Shreve
Wondered where my old hippie beads were.
Keith Richard Mears
Africa is a very large CONTINENT, the question should have specified west Africa, which is still huge, but narrows it down a lot.