South American Carved Instrument Tutumo fruit Maracas Rattles Shipibo ayahuasca Peruvian Folk percussive

Traditional percussive South American instrument classified as idiophones.
This shaker/rattle has been made from Tutuma, big fruit of the Calabash tree.
The handle has been made from Chonta tree.
These instruments usually are filled with achira seeds, beads or any small
hard pieces such as rocks, grains, cactus spines.
Beautifly hand-carved by native Shipibo-Conibo artisans from Amazonian Rain
forest Jungle-Peru.

Natives used dried out gourds of Tutuma tree because believe that the head of
fruit represents the heads of spirits which local witch doctors would shake
during ceremonies to summon the supernatural beings.

Shipibo/Conibo rattles are decorated with traditional desgins - representing
the traditional icaro song patterns (power of healing) which are sung by the
shamans during Ayahuasca ceremonies with intention to heal people.


This rattle is a great accompaniment for singers, didgeridoo players,
drummers or anyone else with a free hand. Its beautiful shaking adds a sound
layer that fills in space and makes a song more complete.

Every piece is unique – inspired by Ayahuasca induced visions.



length 24 cm
Head 7-8 cm

The Shipibo designs -quene - painted by Shipibo womens are visions obtained
under the influence of spirit world during the ayahuasca ceremonies, conducted
by shamans act as interpreters. The shamans under the special diet and
illuminated by ayahuasca, sing the Icaros songs- coded magical musical
tunes/pathways used for healing, cleansing, protection, love-to communicate
with the spirit beings and world.
The Icaros songs served the purpose of codifying the magical quene designs:
powerful spirits as their masters like: hummingbird (Pino Heua), the anaconda
(Ani Ronin), and the ayahuasca spirit (Nishi Ibo).
As for Shipibo the entire universe consist from cosmic regions covered by
quene designs, (the upper world, represented by great Sky Serpent -Milky Way,
the world around them and the underworld) which are closely interwoven,
constantly emerging, shifting from the invisible to the visible realms, Shipibo
designs express the compelling need to bring the cosmic, heavenly order down to
earth, to bring order to chaos, to re-establish harmony.
The Shipibo shamans conduct the ayahuasca ceremonies with shacapa fan- musical
rattle, made from the leaves of Pariana stenolemma tutin. This accompaniment
serves to clean away negatives energies.

The old legend

The most powerful of Shipibo-Conibo mythic beings of old times was Meraya.
This being was capable of becoming invisible, of being in two places at once,
of shape-shifting into animals and of travelling to other dimensions. The
Meraya entered into trance inside mosquito tent for women of the Shipibo tribe,
to help them to create designs. In trance the Meraya received a visit from
different spirits, and these are said to have painted their designs onto strips
or tree bark, or to have sung the designs themselves. The Meraya then tried to
memorise these song, imitating the spirit melodies in the form of whistles. As
soon as the spirits left the mosquito tent, the Meraya attempted to draw these
magical songs, bringing them down from the encrypted invisible realm of the
spirit melodies, to the visible realm of the designs.



This is the activity of entire families through folk art production keeps the
Indian community and is a great way to cultivate tradition.