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A '''maraca''' ({{IPAc-en|m|ə|ˈ|r|æ|k|ə}} {{respell|mə|RAK|ə}}, {{IPAc-en|USalso|m|ə|ˈ|r|ɑː|k|ə}} {{respell|mə|RAH|kə}}, {{IPA|pt-BR|maˈɾakɐ|lang|Br-Maraca.ogg}}), sometimes called '''shaker''' or '''chac-chac''',<ref>{{cite book | last=Mendes | first=John | title=Cote ce Cote la: Trinidad and Tobago Dictionary | year=1976 | publisher=Syncreators | location=Arima, Trinidad | page=135}}</ref> is a [[Rattle (percussion instrument)|rattle]] which appears in many genres of [[List of Caribbean music genres|Caribbean]] and [[Latin music]]. It is shaken by a handle and usually played as part of a pair.
A '''maraca''' ({{IPAc-en|m|ə|ˈ|r|æ|k|ə}} {{respell|mə|RAK|ə}}, {{IPAc-en|USalso|m|ə|ˈ|r|ɑː|k|ə}} {{respell|mə|RAH|kə}}, {{IPA|pt-BR|maˈɾakɐ|lang|Br-Maraca.ogg}}), sometimes called '''shaker''' or '''chac-chac''', is a [[Rattle (percussion instrument)|rattle]] which appears in many genres of [[List of Caribbean music genres|Caribbean]] and [[Latin music]]. It is shaken by a handle and usually played as part of a pair. A maraca player in the [[Spanish language]] is called a {{lang|es|maraquero}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=English Translation of “MARAQUERO” {{!}} Collins Spanish-English Dictionary |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/spanish-english/maraquero |access-date=2024-06-25 |website=[[Collins Spanish Dictionary]]}}</ref>


Maracas, also known as tamaracas, were rattles of divination, an oracle of the Brazilian [[Tupinambá people|Tupinamba]] people, found also with other Indigenous ethnic groups, such as the [[Guaraní people|Guarani]], [[Orinoco]] and in [[Florida]]. Rattles made from ''[[Lagenaria]]'' gourds are being shaken by the natural grip, while the round ''[[Crescentia]]'' calabash fruits are fitted to a handle.<ref>{{citation | editor=Julian H. Steward | editor-link=Julian H. Steward | title=[[Handbook of South American Indians]] | volume=3 | year=1948 | publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office | pages=43, 129, 238}}</ref> Human hair is sometimes fastened on the top, and a slit is cut in it to represent a mouth, through which their [[shaman]]s (''payes'') made it utter its responses. A few pebbles are inserted to make it rattle and it is crowned with the red feathers of the {{lang|es|guarás}} ([[scarlet ibis]]). It was used at their dances and to heal the sick.<ref>{{citation | author=Robert Southey | author-link=Robert Southey | title=History of Brazil | volume=1 | pages=187–188, 635 | year=1810 | publisher=Longman & Hurst | url= https://archive.org/details/historyofbrazil01sout/page/188/mode/2up?q=maraca }} Note: {{lang|es|[[:es:guará (ave)|guarás]]}} is spelled idiosyncratically as "goaraz" in this historical source.</ref> Andean [[curandero]]s (healers) use maracas in their healing rites.<ref>{{citation | editor=Lindsay Jones | author=Federico Kauffmann Doig | entry=SOUTH AMERICAN INDIANS: INDIANS OF THE ANDES IN THE PRE-INCA PERIOD | title=Encyclopedia of Religion | edition=2nd | volume=13 | publisher=Gale | year=2005 | pages=8599–8605 | isbn=0-02-865982-1}}</ref>
== Etymology ==
The term ''maraca'' is believed to originate from the [[Guarani language|Guarani]] word ''mbaraca''.<ref name="rae">{{Cite web |title=maraca |url=https://dle.rae.es/maraca |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210705171523/https://dle.rae.es/maraca |archive-date=2021-07-05 |access-date=2021-06-04 |website=[[Diccionario de la lengua española]] |language=es}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Schons |first=Dorothy |date=1942 |title=Negro Poetry in the Americas |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/334219 |journal=Hispania |volume=25 |issue=3 |pages=309–319 |doi=10.2307/334219 |issn=0018-2133 |jstor=334219}}</ref> Other authors, for their part, believe that it is a corruption of the [[Arabic]]-origin word ''mitraqah'', used in African countries with a dual meaning of bell and hammer. However, some authors have questioned the Arabic origin, since ''mitraqah'' apparently derives from the Spanish word ''matraca''.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=de Vega |first=Varela |last2=Bautista |first2=Juan |title=Anotaciones históricas sobre la maraca |url=https://www.cervantesvirtual.com/obra-visor/anotaciones-historicas-sobre-la-maraca/html/ |access-date=2025-06-22 |website=Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes |language=es}}</ref>


Modern maraca balls are also made of leather, wood or plastic.<ref>{{cite book | last=Blades | first=James | title=Percussion instruments and their history | year=1992 | publisher=Bold Strummer | location=Westport, Conn. | isbn=0-933224-61-3 | edition=Rev. | url-access=registration | url=https://archive.org/details/percussioninstru00jame }}</ref>
The instrument is known by various names across Latin America and the Caribbean, including ''maracá'' (Brazil),<ref name=":1" /> ''chac-chac''<ref>{{cite book | last=Mendes | first=John | title=Cote ce Cote la: Trinidad and Tobago Dictionary | year=1976 | publisher=Syncreators | location=Arima, Trinidad | page=135}}</ref> or ''[[shak-shak]]'' (Eastern Caribbean),<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Crowley |first=Daniel J. |date=1958 |title=The Shak-Shak in the Lesser Antilles |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/924654 |journal=Ethnomusicology |volume=2 |issue=3 |pages=112–115 |doi=10.2307/924654 |issn=0014-1836 |jstor=924654}}</ref> and ''higuera'' (Puerto Rico, referencing the calabash tree). In Brazil, numerous regional variants exist, such as ''adjá'', ''canzá'', ''ganzá'', and ''xeque''.<ref name=":1" />


A maraca player in Spanish is a {{lang|es|maraquero}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=English Translation of “MARAQUERO” {{!}} Collins Spanish-English Dictionary |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/spanish-english/maraquero |access-date=2024-06-25 |website=[[Collins Spanish Dictionary]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Maraquero {{!}} Spanish to English Translation - SpanishDictionary.com |url=https://www.spanishdict.com/translate/maraquero |access-date=2024-06-25 |website=SpanishDictionary.com |language=en}}</ref>
== History ==
The maraca is of [[Pre-Columbian era|pre-Columbian]] origin and is believed to have been used by indigenous peoples of South America and the Caribbean<ref name=":1" /> for ceremonial and communicative purposes.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Simas |first=Gilson da Penha |date=2023-11-09 |title=Maracá: um estudo à luz da prática simbólica e da vivência espiritual e cultural do povo Tabajara da Paraíba |url=https://repositorio.ufpb.br/jspui/handle/123456789/33769 |access-date=2025-06-22 |publisher=[[Federal University of Paraíba]]}}</ref> Ethnographic accounts attribute its invention to groups such as the [[Arawak]] and [[Taíno]] peoples.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Aviles |first=Hector |date=2014-12-04 |title=Latin Music History: The Maracas Indigenous Origins |url=https://latinomusiccafe.com/2014/12/04/latin-music-history-the-maracas-indigenous-origins/ |access-date=2025-06-22 |website=Latino Music Cafe |language=en-US}}</ref> In the 18th century, Jesuit missionary José Gumilla noted the use of ''marakas'' among the Arawak-speaking people in the [[Orinoco]] basin.<ref name=":1" /> Maracas were rattles of divination, an oracle of the Brazilian [[Tupinambá people|Tupinamba]] people, found also with other Indigenous ethnic groups, such as the Guarani, Orinoco in [[Florida|Florida, United States]].<ref name=":3">{{citation |title=[[Handbook of South American Indians]] |volume=3 |pages=43, 129, 238 |year=1948 |editor=Julian H. Steward |editor-link=Julian H. Steward |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office}}</ref>
 
Rattles made from ''[[Lagenaria]]'' gourds are being shaken by the natural grip, while the round ''[[Crescentia]]'' calabash fruits are fitted to a handle.<ref name=":3" /> Modern maraca balls are made of leather, wood or plastic<ref>{{cite book |last=Blades |first=James |url=https://archive.org/details/percussioninstru00jame |title=Percussion instruments and their history |publisher=Bold Strummer |year=1992 |isbn=0-933224-61-3 |edition=Rev. |location=Westport, Conn. |url-access=registration |via=the [[Internet Archive]]}}</ref> with a wooden stick inserted through a hole in the shell to serve as a handle.<ref name=":2" /> Human hair is sometimes fastened on the top, and a slit is cut in it to represent a mouth, through which their [[shaman]]s (''payes'') made it utter its responses. A few pebbles are inserted to make it rattle and it is crowned with the red feathers of [[scarlet ibis|guarás]] (scarlet ibises). It was used at their dances and to heal the sick.<ref>{{citation |author=Robert Southey |title=History of Brazil |volume=1 |pages=187–188, 635 |year=1810 |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofbrazil01sout/page/188/mode/2up?q=maraca |publisher=Longman & Hurst |author-link=Robert Southey}} Note: {{lang|es|[[:es:guará (ave)|guarás]]}} is spelled idiosyncratically as "goaraz" in this historical source.</ref> The design may vary by region; for example, in Puerto Rico, maracas are fashioned from the ''higuera'' fruit,<ref name=":1" /> while in other areas they are made of tin, wood, leather, or synthetic materials.<ref name=":2" /> The contents and materials affect the instrument’s timbre and volume. Andean [[curandero]]s (healers) use maracas in their healing rites.<ref>{{citation |author=Federico Kauffmann Doig |title=Encyclopedia of Religion |volume=13 |pages=8599–8605 |year=2005 |editor=Lindsay Jones |entry=SOUTH AMERICAN INDIANS: INDIANS OF THE ANDES IN THE PRE-INCA PERIOD |edition=2nd |publisher=Gale |isbn=0-02-865982-1}}</ref>
 
== Performance ==
The maraca produces sound through the shaking motion, which causes the internal elements to strike against the container's interior.<ref name=":2" /> It plays a primarily rhythmic role, accentuating the beat in various musical styles.<ref name=":1" /> In [[Music of Latin America|Latin American popular music]], the maraca is particularly associated with genres such as ''[[Son cubano|son]]'' ''[[Son cubano|cubano]]'', ''[[guaracha]]'', ''[[danzón]]'', ''[[Salsa music|salsa]]'', and ''[[Bomba (Puerto Rico)|bomba]]''.<ref name=":2" /> In some styles, one maraca may be used (as in ''bomba''), while others require a pair played simultaneously.<ref name=":2" /> The maraca exhibited a [[frequency response]] between 3000 [[Hertz|Hz]] and 10,000 Hz, as measured using a microphone connected to an [[oscilloscope]] and analyzed through "SCOPE" software.<ref name=":5">{{cite journal |last=Souza |first=MF |last2=Corazza |first2=MCA |last3=Quintilio |first3=R |year=2018 |title=Análise acústica dos instrumentos sonoros musicais usados para avaliação audiológica infantil |url=https://revistasfacesa.senaaires.com.br/index.php/iniciacao-cientifica/article/download/96/57 |url-status=usurped |journal=Revista de Iniciação Científica e Extensão |volume=1 |issue=Esp.3 |pages=272–282 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200606164459/https://revistasfacesa.senaaires.com.br/index.php/iniciacao-cientifica/article/download/96/57 |archive-date=2020-06-06}}</ref>
 
In many indigenous and Afro-Brazilian spiritual traditions, the maraca may also serve as a sacred function. Among the [[Tabajara]] people of Brazil, the maraca is considered a "sacred object" used during the ''Toré'' ritual. It represents a conduit between the human and spiritual realms, facilitating communication with ancestral spirits known as ''Encantados''. Decorative elements such as feathers and symbolic paintings enhance its spiritual potency.<ref name=":4" />
 
In ''pajelança'' (an Afro-Indigenous healing practice in northern Brazil), the maraca is used to summon spiritual entities during therapeutic and trance rituals.<ref name=":5" /> The instrument marks the rhythm of sacred songs (''doutrinas''), and its sound is believed to activate healing forces. Pajés (healers) often differentiate between the traditional gourd maraca and metallic variants (''xeque'') used in syncretic rituals.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Quintas |first=Gianno Gonçalves |date=March 2007 |title=Entre maracás, curimbas e tambores: pajelanças nas religiões afro-brasileiras |url=https://repositorio.ufpa.br/jspui/handle/2011/5261 |journal=[[Federal University of Pará]] |access-date=22 June 2025}}</ref>


== Gallery ==
== Gallery ==

Revision as of 19:31, 22 June 2025

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A maraca (Template:IPAc-en Script error: No such module "Respell"., Template:IPAc-en Script error: No such module "Respell"., Script error: No such module "IPA".), sometimes called shaker or chac-chac, is a rattle which appears in many genres of Caribbean and Latin music. It is shaken by a handle and usually played as part of a pair. A maraca player in the Spanish language is called a Script error: No such module "Lang"..[1]

Etymology

The term maraca is believed to originate from the Guarani word mbaraca.[2][3] Other authors, for their part, believe that it is a corruption of the Arabic-origin word mitraqah, used in African countries with a dual meaning of bell and hammer. However, some authors have questioned the Arabic origin, since mitraqah apparently derives from the Spanish word matraca.[4]

The instrument is known by various names across Latin America and the Caribbean, including maracá (Brazil),[4] chac-chac[5] or shak-shak (Eastern Caribbean),[6] and higuera (Puerto Rico, referencing the calabash tree). In Brazil, numerous regional variants exist, such as adjá, canzá, ganzá, and xeque.[4]

History

The maraca is of pre-Columbian origin and is believed to have been used by indigenous peoples of South America and the Caribbean[4] for ceremonial and communicative purposes.[7] Ethnographic accounts attribute its invention to groups such as the Arawak and Taíno peoples.[8] In the 18th century, Jesuit missionary José Gumilla noted the use of marakas among the Arawak-speaking people in the Orinoco basin.[4] Maracas were rattles of divination, an oracle of the Brazilian Tupinamba people, found also with other Indigenous ethnic groups, such as the Guarani, Orinoco in Florida, United States.[9]

Rattles made from Lagenaria gourds are being shaken by the natural grip, while the round Crescentia calabash fruits are fitted to a handle.[9] Modern maraca balls are made of leather, wood or plastic[10] with a wooden stick inserted through a hole in the shell to serve as a handle.[8] Human hair is sometimes fastened on the top, and a slit is cut in it to represent a mouth, through which their shamans (payes) made it utter its responses. A few pebbles are inserted to make it rattle and it is crowned with the red feathers of guarás (scarlet ibises). It was used at their dances and to heal the sick.[11] The design may vary by region; for example, in Puerto Rico, maracas are fashioned from the higuera fruit,[4] while in other areas they are made of tin, wood, leather, or synthetic materials.[8] The contents and materials affect the instrument’s timbre and volume. Andean curanderos (healers) use maracas in their healing rites.[12]

Performance

The maraca produces sound through the shaking motion, which causes the internal elements to strike against the container's interior.[8] It plays a primarily rhythmic role, accentuating the beat in various musical styles.[4] In Latin American popular music, the maraca is particularly associated with genres such as son cubano, guaracha, danzón, salsa, and bomba.[8] In some styles, one maraca may be used (as in bomba), while others require a pair played simultaneously.[8] The maraca exhibited a frequency response between 3000 Hz and 10,000 Hz, as measured using a microphone connected to an oscilloscope and analyzed through "SCOPE" software.[13]

In many indigenous and Afro-Brazilian spiritual traditions, the maraca may also serve as a sacred function. Among the Tabajara people of Brazil, the maraca is considered a "sacred object" used during the Toré ritual. It represents a conduit between the human and spiritual realms, facilitating communication with ancestral spirits known as Encantados. Decorative elements such as feathers and symbolic paintings enhance its spiritual potency.[7]

In pajelança (an Afro-Indigenous healing practice in northern Brazil), the maraca is used to summon spiritual entities during therapeutic and trance rituals.[13] The instrument marks the rhythm of sacred songs (doutrinas), and its sound is believed to activate healing forces. Pajés (healers) often differentiate between the traditional gourd maraca and metallic variants (xeque) used in syncretic rituals.[14]

Gallery

References

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  1. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  2. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ a b c d e f g Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ a b c d e f Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". Note: Script error: No such module "Lang". is spelled idiosyncratically as "goaraz" in this historical source.
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".

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External links

Template:Percussion Template:Shaken idiophones Template:Authority control

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