Rattle - Maraca Pataxó

Maraca for the Pataxó people is a means of communication. When in the villages there are meetings between chief and community, the maraca has the main function! At meetings when a person wants to give an opinion, she raises and shakes the maraca, then the leader, chief or shaman will understand that that person wants to speak and everyone will be silent to listen.

The maraca is also used in classrooms by the teachers to draw the attention of the student who is disturbing the explanations and thus asking for silence and attention.

Maraca is used in rituals, ceremonies and dances. In the corners it is used to express joy with the soul and energy in conducting the ritual. The way the leader shakes the maraca sets the rhythm and everyone who follows already knows what the direction of the singing and dancing movement will be according to the way of shaking the maraca.

The maraca is also part of the rituals of healing and spiritual work by the shamans that help in the spiritual connection and purification of the subtle fields.

There is a corner for the maraca that looks like this:

When I hear the noise of the maraca
makes me want to sing

When I hear the noise of the maraca
makes me want to sing

I sing is for Tupã
for Tupã to help me

Aweres

The graphics of the maracas is created by the friend Paraci Pataxó.

About the Pataxós:
“The Pataxó live in several villages in the extreme south of the State of Bahia and north of Minas Gerais. There is evidence that the village of Barra Velha has existed for almost two and a half centuries, since 1767 (see History of the occupation). In contact with non-Indians since the 16th century and often forced to hide their customs, the Pataxó today strive to enliven their Patxohã language and rituals "from the ancients" like Awê. (via: https://www.pib.socioambiental.org)