Indigenous South American cultures left few written records, and their culture since the sixteenth century has become so intertwined with European and African culture that it can be difficult to distinguish the origins of certain practices. However, native traditions are certainly a major factor in the unique musical heritage of South America.
This is a Ndyuka instrument, derived from drums of the Ashanti people in Africa. The Ndyuka are a "Maroon people," made of formerly enslaved individuals who escaped and founded settlements of their own.
The charango is a native Yucat´n instrument made from the shell of an armadillo; this particular sample from Mexico combines the traditional instrument with aspects of a Spanish guitar.
This is a terracota trumpet made by the Moche, a Pre-Columbian people from Peru.
This manguaré is a slit drum used for medium-distance communication among the Bora people of Peru. It is made of wood and played with a rubber mallet.
Made of a gourd and wood, and decorated with curasow feathers, this Columbian rattle is of the type used by Hiwi shamans in magical healing rituals.
The rondador is an Ecuadorian panpipe made of bamboo, cotton string, and condor feathers. The feathers, being hollow, can be blown transversely like a flute and produce a variety of pitches.
A whistling jar is a chambered pottery vessel that contains a whistle hidden inside, which is played either by blowing into it or pouring water into the chamber. This whistling jar is from Peru.
This Atoradi shak-shak, or "basket rattle," is made by filling a gourd with quartzite crystals, attaching it to a wooden stick and decorating it with feathers. All these objects were believed by Guyana shamans to have magical powers.
The guiro is a resonator made of gourd, wood, or other materials, with a ridged edge that produces a rhythmic pulse when scraped with a mallet. This guiro is from Cuba.
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