Calabash rattle, Nigeria, 1851-1920

Club shaped calabash rattle covered with cloth and stitched all over with various objects, used by priest of Shango cult, Yoruba, Nigeria, West African, 1851-1920

This club-shaped rattle was used by a priest of the Shango cult from the Yoruba people of Nigeria, West Africa. Shango is the Yoruba god of thunder and is worshipped as a healing god. The priest would go into a trance-like state and, using the rattle to communicate with Shango, receive recipes for medical treatments. Treatment of the sick and diseased involved the whole community rather than just the individual. The rattle is made from a gourd called a calabash, and has cloth, shells, wood and metal stitched on to the surface.