Gourds have been making music for thousands of years—often with the help of people of course! The gourds pictured at right are marankas. One of them remains bare, in its dried and cleaned condition. The other three have been covered in an old tradition, with string and beads, to create rattles called shekerie. (Can you find out how to pronounce this word?)

Many countries around the world have made shekerie-type gourd rattles. Most of them used beads, seeds or shells as decoration. Each material gives a similar yet distinctly different sound. I'm sure you can learn how to make shekerie by finding instructions on the internet, but a great well-rounded gourd book that also tells you how is called, "The Complete Book of Gourd Craft" by Ginger Summit and Jim Widess.

Below are a larger maranka and a birdhouse that have been painted with acrylic paints and varnished. These two rattles have a softer sound because they are using the seeds on the inside for noise.