Kashaka
Encyclopedia
A kashaka is simple percussion instrument
consisting of two small gourd
s filled with beans (essentially, two small kinds of maracas
) and connected by a string. One gourd is held in the hand and the other is swung from side-to-side around the hand, creating a "clack" upon impact. It originated in West Africa
, but has been reproduced in plastic in various countries under different names: Patica (Japan) and Kosika (USA). Other names include Asalato, Kes Kes, Tchangot Tche, and many other.
Kashakas create both shaking sounds and percussive clicks, by swinging the balls around the hand, and by making the balls hit each other. Learning to catch the Kashaka can be difficult at first, but it enables a much larger variety of rhythms to be created. Also, as hands come in different sizes, it is important to play a Kashaka that is the right size, as it makes learning how to play and master different rhythms much easier. When a Kashaka is played in each hand by an experienced player, polyrhythms can be produced by playing two different rhythms with different time signature
s.
Kashakas are considered a toy to some, a percussion instrument to most, and are also a skill development tool that can improve dexterity, ambidexterity, brain hemispheric synchronization, and the ability to multitask. It can also build muscle mass
and improve flexibility in the hands, arms, shoulders and chest. It is also considered a meditative tool that can create a trance state, promote relaxation and lower stress levels.
Many countries in West Africa are impoverished, and for many children, a Kashaka is their only toy. This is because they literally grow out of the ground.
The two gourd balls are attached to each other by a small string (sometimes made from old rags braided together), in one of two ways:
, rhythmically bouncing their Kasso Kassonis off the trunk at the same time.
The men and boys in Mali think Kasso Kassonis belong to the realm of women's things. Even the great Malian drummers don't use them.
In some places in Cameroon, Kashakas have a unique traditional use. Whenever villagers gather to meet with the chief, they all pull our their Kashakas and begin shaking them as soon as the chief enters the compound. In Guinea, Kashakas are played by young women after their rite-of-passage ceremonies, when they travel to the river for a ritual cleansing
.
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
consisting of two small gourd
Gourd
A gourd is a plant of the family Cucurbitaceae. Gourd is occasionally used to describe crops like cucumbers, squash, luffas, and melons. The term 'gourd' however, can more specifically, refer to the plants of the two Cucurbitaceae genera Lagenaria and Cucurbita or also to their hollow dried out shell...
s filled with beans (essentially, two small kinds of maracas
Maracás
Maracás is a town and municipality in the state of Bahia in the North-East region of Brazil.-References:...
) and connected by a string. One gourd is held in the hand and the other is swung from side-to-side around the hand, creating a "clack" upon impact. It originated in West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
, but has been reproduced in plastic in various countries under different names: Patica (Japan) and Kosika (USA). Other names include Asalato, Kes Kes, Tchangot Tche, and many other.
Kashakas create both shaking sounds and percussive clicks, by swinging the balls around the hand, and by making the balls hit each other. Learning to catch the Kashaka can be difficult at first, but it enables a much larger variety of rhythms to be created. Also, as hands come in different sizes, it is important to play a Kashaka that is the right size, as it makes learning how to play and master different rhythms much easier. When a Kashaka is played in each hand by an experienced player, polyrhythms can be produced by playing two different rhythms with different time signature
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
s.
Kashakas are considered a toy to some, a percussion instrument to most, and are also a skill development tool that can improve dexterity, ambidexterity, brain hemispheric synchronization, and the ability to multitask. It can also build muscle mass
Muscle
Muscle is a contractile tissue of animals and is derived from the mesodermal layer of embryonic germ cells. Muscle cells contain contractile filaments that move past each other and change the size of the cell. They are classified as skeletal, cardiac, or smooth muscles. Their function is to...
and improve flexibility in the hands, arms, shoulders and chest. It is also considered a meditative tool that can create a trance state, promote relaxation and lower stress levels.
Many countries in West Africa are impoverished, and for many children, a Kashaka is their only toy. This is because they literally grow out of the ground.
Manufacture
Each ball of a Kashaka is a hollow gourd from the Swawa tree (see below for more information about the tree). When the gourds dry and fall off the trees children collect them and fill them with orange pebbles from the iron-rich soil of the Sahel. Along the coast of West Africa small pieces of shells are used instead.The two gourd balls are attached to each other by a small string (sometimes made from old rags braided together), in one of two ways:
- One way is to make a single, round hole in the bottom of the Kashaka. Once the shaker material has been added, one end of the string is knotted and inserted in the hole. Then a small stick, which has been tapered at one end by a knife, is inserted into the hole until it can go no further. The stick is glued to the thin wall of the gourd, and once it has dried, the end of the stick protruding from the gourd is carefully sawed off. The length of string between the balls can vary from 6-12 cm, depending on the size of the ball (the larger the ball, the longer the string).
- Another way to make Kashakas is to make a hole on both the top and bottom of each gourd, and once the shaker material has been added, the rope is threaded through both holes of each gourd and knotted on the outside of the gourds. Kashakas made in this way are adjustable, as the knot can be moved up or down the string. This can be advantageous, as it is much easier to learn how to play and master Kashakas when they are the correct size for a player's hand.
Mali
In Mali, only women and girls play with Kashakas. Sometimes it's for work, and sometimes for play. Everyone in Mali has to help out - as soon as girls are old enough to babysit, they will lean how to play Kashakas to entertain their younger siblings. When they get older, and a little better at playing, they get together with their teenage friends and have some fun: they surround a tree and sing folk songsFolk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, rhythmically bouncing their Kasso Kassonis off the trunk at the same time.
The men and boys in Mali think Kasso Kassonis belong to the realm of women's things. Even the great Malian drummers don't use them.
Elsewhere
In other parts of West Africa, like in Togo, Benin and Ghana, male drummers have been using Kasso Kassoni (or Kashaka) for generations. They were probably introduced to Ghana by their legendary fishermen, who have traveled far up and down the Gold Coast, trading and sharing cultural traditions and rhythms (so far, more than 20 names for Kashakas have been discovered).In some places in Cameroon, Kashakas have a unique traditional use. Whenever villagers gather to meet with the chief, they all pull our their Kashakas and begin shaking them as soon as the chief enters the compound. In Guinea, Kashakas are played by young women after their rite-of-passage ceremonies, when they travel to the river for a ritual cleansing
Ritual purification
Ritual purification is a feature of many religions. The aim of these rituals is to remove specifically defined uncleanliness prior to a particular type of activity, and especially prior to the worship of a deity...
.