A maraca (), sometimes called shaker or chac-chac, is a
rattle which appears in many genres of
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean ...
and
Latin music
Latin music ( Portuguese and es, música latina) is a term used by the music industry as a catch-all category for various styles of music from Ibero-America (including Spain and Portugal) and the Latino United States inspired by Latin Amer ...
. It is shaken by a handle and usually played as part of a pair.
Maracas (from
Guaraní ), also known as tamaracas, were rattles of divination, an oracle of the Brazilian
Tupinamba people, found also with other Indigenous ethnic groups, such as the
Guarani,
Orinoco
The Orinoco () is one of the longest rivers in South America at . Its drainage basin, sometimes known as the Orinoquia, covers , with 76.3 percent of it in Venezuela and the remainder in Colombia. It is the fourth largest river in the wor ...
and in
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...
. Rattles made from ''
Lagenaria'' gourds are being shaken by the natural grip, while the round ''
Crescentia
''Crescentia'' (calabash tree, huingo, krabasi, or kalebas) is a genus of six species of flowering plants in the family Bignoniaceae, native to southern North America, the Caribbean, Central America northern South America. The species are moder ...
'' calabash fruits are fitted to a handle. Human hair is sometimes fastened on the top, and a slit is cut in it to represent a mouth, through which their
shaman
Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spir ...
s (''payes'') made it utter its responses. A few pebbles are inserted to make it rattle and it is crowned with the red feathers of the (
scarlet ibis
The scarlet ibis (''Eudocimus ruber'') is a species of ibis in the bird family Threskiornithidae. It inhabits tropical South America and part of the Caribbean. In form, it resembles most of the other twenty-seven extant species of ibis, but ...
). Every man had his maraca. It was used at their dances and to heal the sick. Andean
curandero
A ''curandero'' (, healer; f. , also spelled , , f. ) is a traditional native healer or shaman found primarily in Latin America and also in the United States. A curandero is a specialist in traditional medicine whose practice can either con ...
s (healers) use maracas in their healing rites.
Modern maraca balls are also made of leather, wood or plastic.
A maraca player in Spanish is a .
Gallery
File:Maracas player at Bonnaroo 2008 festival.jpg, Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948) is an English singer and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the English rock band Led Zeppelin for all of its existence from 1968 until 1980, when the band broke up following th ...
playing two pairs of maracas
File:Guarani shaman.JPG, Guarani shaman holding cross and maraca
File:Maraca 01 del Baile de los Toritos de Chichicastenango.JPG, A maraca used by the knights of Toritos de Chichicastenango, danced for the feast of Saint Thomas, around December 21. Each maraca is unique and made specially for each year
References
External links
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Venezuelan musical instruments
South American percussion instruments
Central American and Caribbean percussion instruments
Orchestral percussion
Vessel rattles
Hand percussion
Unpitched percussion instruments