Object Name: Rattle
Place of Origin: Ghana
Cultural Group: Akan peoples
Materials Used: Brass, copper, stone
Dimensions: L: 22 cm (L: 8.6 in)
Credit line and Accession Number: Fowler Museum at UCLA. X79.108

Only about a dozen of these rattles have been recorded, and none of them is its indigenous context. The chamber of the rattle is formed from what would otherwise be identified as the lids of repousse sheet-brass containers (forowa) used for shea butter, a vegetable fat that forms a component of medicines and cosmetics. The function of these rattles remains unknown.

Source: DjeDje, J. C. (1999). “Turn Up the Volume! A Celebration of African Music”, Los Angeles: UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History. page 264