Central Region of Kenya
Kikuyu People

Wood, gourd/calabash, seeds, small stones, leather, cowrie shells, animal hair
Early – Mid 20th Century
Length: 12 in; Diameter of gourd: 7 in
Idiophone – Struck Indirectly – Shaken -Rattle

This rattle comes from the Kikuyu people in Kenya.  It is made from a gourd, cowrie shells sewn on leather strips and on top is attached animal hair to a separate strip with three shells.  Inside are seeds or small stones.

Today, the Kikuyu tribe, a Bantu ethnic group, comprise 17% of the population in Kenya living in the central region between Nairobi and Mount Kenya.