112.13

Chekere, gourd vessel rattle.

The chekere is an Afro-Cuban rattle, which is used primarily in religious ceremonies. This example originates from Matanzas, an area that retains a number of African traditions. This instrument was purchased from Mr. Roberto Vizcaino, a Cuban musician with the Cuban jazz group Gonzalo Rubalcaba y Grupo Projecto, which came to the UK to play at Ronnie Scott's jazz club in London at the end of May 1988. Mr Vizcaino acquired the chekere from a friend who used it in religious ceremonies. It accompanied devotional songs in the Yoruba language of Nigeria, dedicated to the Orisha or deity Shango, who has power over thunder and lightning.

object
MUSEUM NUMBER
M3-1988
Date
circa 1940
PLACE
COLLECTION
MEASUREMENTS
overall: 335 x 261 mm
MATERIAL/TECHNIQUE
gourd; fIint; seed
CATEGORY
Musical Instruments
LOCATION
Music Gallery > Side C - The Ideal Sound > Case C3 - Trading Sounds
SHAREABLE LINK

Continue exploring musical instruments

Collection Information

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The database retains language taken from historical documents to help research. Please note that some records may feature language and reflect systems of thinking that are outdated and offensive.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