Shipibo Maraca Rattle - Peru

Shipibo Maraca – Handmade in Peru

This maraca comes from the Ucayali region of the Peruvian Amazon rainforest and is handmade by the Shipibo, an indigenous people who have worked with ayahuasca (oni in Shipibo) for centuries. The Shipibo were never conquered by the Inca empire and remained relatively independent for a long time, which allowed their own traditions and craftsmanship to largely survive intact. The maraca is made from a dried calabash filled with achira seeds, fitted with a handle carved from chonta wood. The distinctive geometric pattern on the calabash isn't purely decorative for the Shipibo: the motifs are linked to the icaros, the songs a curandero (shaman) sings during a ceremony to guide its course. Because every pattern and every calabash is different, each maraca has its own look and its own sound.

Use

During an ayahuasca ceremony, the curandero shakes the maraca in a steady rhythm, together with the icaros and whistling patterns, to build the soundscape that guides the ceremony. Outside of a ceremonial setting, the maraca also works well as a decorative object or as a rhythm instrument for meditation, sound bath sessions or making music: the sound is dry and rattling, produced by the achira seeds moving against the inside of the calabash.

Care

Store the maraca somewhere dry and out of direct sunlight, so the calabash doesn't dry out or discolour. A dry cloth is enough to remove dust; don't use water, as the calabash can absorb it and warp or crack.

Specifications

• Material: calabash, chonta wood, achira seeds
• Origin: Ucayali region, Peruvian Amazon
• Handmade by Shipibo people
• Each piece is unique in pattern and sound