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Caxixi.
Found across Africa and South America, mainly in Brazil and Cuba, and used in staging capoeira (an Afro-Brazilian martial art combining dance, acrobatics and music). In brazil the smaller sized caxixi began to be played alongside the berimbau (bow shaped, single stringed instrument). In West Africa, it is used by singers and often alongside drummers. People believed the caxixi to summon good enchanted spiritis and to ward off evil ones.
These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.
The database retains language taken from historical documents to help research. Please note that some records may feature language and reflect systems of thinking that are outdated and offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.
If you have any further information about objects in our collections, can suggest corrections to our information or if you see content requiring immediate action, please contact us: enquiry@horniman.ac.uk
