HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN AXATSE (NETTED GOURD RATTLE) PDF Tutorial

Gourd rattles with an external network of bead, seed, shell, or bamboo strikers are found widely in West Africa, from the Congo region in the south to Senegal and Mali in the northwest. These include the sèkèrè (SHEH-keh-reh) of Nigeria and Benin, the jabara of Mali and Guinea, and the shegbureh of Sierra Leone.

📘 What You’ll Get

Our comprehensive PDF tutorial equips you to craft the axatse, a netted gourd rattle of the Ewe people of Ghana and Togo that might have inspired the asson of Haiti and the afoxe of Brazil. Designed for percussionists, DIY enthusiasts, arts & crafts facilitators, and homeschoolers, this guide walks you step-by-step through the process of creating a fully functional rattle of your own.

🛠 Also included in the Tutorial

• ✅ A curated list of suppliers for gourds, beads, cordage, and other essential materials
• ✅ Detailed instructions for preparing the gourd:
• Cleaning the exterior
• Opening and removing seeds/pulp
• Treating the interior and exterior
• ✅ Basic guidance on how to play the axatse once it’s completed

You will get a PDF (1MB) file