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1938.34.542

Leg rattle made from palm leaves.

1938.34.542

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Collection type
Object
Description
Leg rattle made from palm leaves.
Cultural groups
Nguni
Mpondo
Person
Field collector Henry Balfour
PRM source Henry Balfour
Date / Period
Date made: Before 1939
Date collected
By 1939
Acquisition information
Donated: 1938
Materials and processes
Material Palm Leaf Plant, Material Stone, Material Plant Fibre, Process Woven, Process Plaited, Process Basketry
Dimensions
Length: max 399 mm
Object numbers
Accession number: 1938.34.542
Research and responses

Leg rattles are common across Southern and Eastern Africa and have a different name depending on the region (Maghavu, Mathowa, Amahlwayi, Matlhoa and many more). The rattles are tied around dancer’s lower legs as percussion instruments played during ceremonies such as weddings or for entertainment purposes. The rhythms produced by the leg rattles emphasise the leg movements of the dancers, and more complex improvised rhythms that vary and cross over from the basic rhythms of a dance can be heard during improvisations by virtuoso dancers.

Traditionally, leg rattles are made from seed-filled gourd fruits such as the Strychnos Spinosa, colloquially known as the spiny monkey orange (known as matamba in Zimbabwe, mateme in Malawi, massala in Mozambique and many other names across southern and Eastern Africa). They can also be made of dried insect cocoons (caterpillar and moth cocoons being the most common) or palm fronds that are filled with pebbles and threaded together using rope or bark fibre. The materials used to make leg rattles vary by region, and traditional materials may be swapped out for contemporary materials if they are more readily available.

Sources:

Professor Robert Nyamushosho (interview)

Jones, C. (1992). Making Music, Musical Instruments in Zimbabwe Past and Present, Academic Books Zimbabwe, p. 78

This is constructed from two sections which are tied together; probably being the two leg rattles. The individual woven units are joined together by vegetable fibre threaded through the units top and bottom. [HLR]

Associated publications
Kirby, Musical Instruments of the Native Races of South Africa, pp. 5,6, p.13A

Search terms: Music, Dance, Ornament, Basketry, Musical Instrument, Dance Accessory, Leg Ornament, Rattle

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