Ghana
Ghanian

Cloth, seeds, Oncoba spinosa tree pods
Mid-Late 20th Century
Diameter: 2 inches 
Idiophone – Struck Indirectly – Shaken -Rattle

A pair of tiny gourd maraca-like shakers attached together by a cloth woven string from Ghana, called ‘asalato’ (also called ‘aslatua’ / ‘kashaka’).  This is a simple musical instrument played by children and adults in West Africa.   The two shells come from the Oncoba spinosa tree and contain small seeds that have been added.

In playing, one of the pods is held in the palm with the cord going between the first and middle fingers and over the thumb. The other pod is flipped over the top of the hand and caught in the back of the palm with the little finger.