Rattle Friends

Purification Ritual of My Rattle Friends! 🐍

The Chajchas at the base of the “tree image,” crafted from goat hooves, have been with me for 25 years and have never, EVER been damaged, despite being tied together with just fine wool yarn. (I’ve moved more than 50 times, taught music to children for 5 years, and placed them in all the little hands I could!)

It is commonly believed that shamans from all cultures around the world primarily use the shamanic drum in their practices. However, this is not the case in South America, where wind instruments, rattles, and singing are predominantly employed (with the exception of Mapuche culture, where the kultrún drum holds significant importance).

In the central Chaco region of Argentina, where my ancestors originate, the gourd rattle—filled with stones, magical objects, and small pieces of metal—can be considered more of a “social phenomenon” than merely an instrument.

During the initiation rites for men, a personal rattle was crafted, and the boys would venture into the forest to find a mushroom, which was placed inside the gourd to “encourage the creation of songs that attract women.”

A native Chulupí describes the porongo (the rattle) as:
“… that mushroom is almost, let’s say, the root from which songs are born.”

These songs would manifest in dreams.