Shekere gallery
My Shekere Story:
From gourd to Shekere....
My process begins by searching for the right gourds as I hand pick each one from the gourd farm.
Gourds grow in a variety of shapes and sizes:
Bottle necked, pear shaped, long neck, canteen, banana, etc.
I most often choose bottle necked gourds because they are easily handled by musicians.
They display a variety of characteristics in shape, texture, and patina, giving each one it is own personality!
My desire is to compliment each gourd with the beading and braiding that fits it's individuality.
I allow the gourd to inform me what it would like to wear, and I allow my imagination to run freely!
Process from Gourd to Shekere:
After the gourd is chosen the surface is washed and cleaned.
Then I cut the top of the gourd, clean out the dried pulp, and seeds with a scraping tool, sand, and stones.
Once thoroughly cleaned, I coat the inside and the outside surfaces with my homemade bee’s wax cream.
This is where threads and beads come into play.
The gourd will often speak it’s wisdom and tell me what it wants to wear. I obediently follow the gourd’s direction.
After the Shekere is completed, I then purify it overnight as it sits inside of a singing bowl. The next morning I do the final cleansing with burning sage leaves.
It is now ready to journey to it’s new destination with my blessing..!
How to order:
Please contact me !