șẹkẹrẹ

Yoruba șẹkẹrẹ is an onomatopoeic word — it sounds like the instrument sounds when shaken and struck. The shekere is a large dried gourd fitted with an exterior net of cowrie shells or beads. It is played by shaking (producing the beads striking the gourd) and by tossing-and-catching (allowing the net to fall against the gourd). The two motions produce different rhythms from the same instrument.

In Yoruba religious practice, the shekere is sacred to specific Orisha (deities): different Orisha are associated with different types of shekere, different playing styles, and different rhythms. The Ataoja (three shekere of different sizes) are used in ceremonies for Orisha like Obatala, Shango, and Oshun. The instrument is simultaneously music and prayer — you cannot fully separate the performance from the ceremony.

The shekere traveled with enslaved Yoruba people to the Americas, appearing in Brazilian Candomblé (where it is called the agbê), Cuban Santería/Lucumí (where it is the chekeré), and Trinidadian Orisha worship. At each location the instrument retained its religious function alongside its musical one. The largest shekere performance tradition outside Africa is in Cuba.

In the late 20th century, the shekere was adopted by jazz and world music percussionists for its distinctive sound quality. Babatunde Olatunji's 1959 album Drums of Passion, which introduced Yoruba drumming to American audiences, included the shekere. Grateful Dead percussionist Mickey Hart incorporated it into his work. The sacred vessel of Yoruba Orisha worship is now found in recording studios and symphony orchestras.