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Make a Red Gourd Shakere
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Step 6

Make a “Snake” with Cowrie Shells Gourd Shekere

  1. Put an Image on the Gourd

  2. Drill the Cowrie Shell Beads

  3. Knot on Shell Beads (Noise makers)

  4. Cut Bottom Hole Add Knots, Perform Winter Solstice Rituals

  5. Add Feathers

  6. It Flies


A Foraged Foxtail
 : Make a Snake Shekere with Cowrie Shells :

You might think this gourd shakere just happened. I did bits and pieces over a long time. I suddenly needed to pull a whole project together at the time of the solstice. I want to use this shaker ritually on the next dark of the moon when I make new mallets.
gourd shekere with cowrie shell beads Rainbow Serpant Flies
The Snake Shekere
I've broken down making the shakere into steps. The steps could be further broken down. It isn't hard, get some supplies and get going.

Ingredients
You will need
one cured bottle gourd (or other hard shelled gourd)
leather dye
hemp twine
heavy thread
feathers
cowrie shells
beads
and tools:
a dremel tool or a fine tooth hacksaw, beading pliers or needle nose pliers, drill, craft vise, scissors, plastic scrubber, washing tub/bucket

If you don't already know about getting and cleaning gourds, look at Getting Nice Clean Gourds, the first step in the Red Gourd project.

  1. Coloring and Putting an Image on the Gourd

  1. Drilling Holes in the Cowrie Shell Beads

  1. Knotting the Noise Making Cowrie Shells on - the sea shells are the beads, the noise makers

  1. Cut Bottom Hole into the Gourd, Add Half Hitch Knots to ring with Hemp Bead twine, Perform Winter Solstice Rituals

  1. Add Feathers

  1. The Rainbow Serpent Flies - completed Snake Shekere with Cowrie Shells and Feathers

 : Links/Sponsors :

Make a Shakere is sponsored by Fertility Futures, a firm focused on helping make families possible. Many would be parents are unable to realize their dreams of a family with children due to fertility issues. Fertility Futures brings medical specialists and counselors to bear on these difficult problems, helping couples with a range of solutions from fertility therapy through the use of surrogates to carry a child through pregancy for a family. In order to support this service, Fertility Futures also solicits egg donors for its ova donation program. People who face challenges in becoming parents, or healthy women who are willing to become egg donors should consider visiting Fertility Futures.

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