Rainsticks can be made from hollowed, dried cactus.
According to the University of Vermont, rainsticks are thought to have originated in South America and were made by native Chileans to invoke rain spirits. Traditional rainsticks are still made from the dried, hollowed limbs and stems of Quisco or capado cactus. When filled with seeds, closed at both ends and turned over, the falling seeds make a sound very much like rain. A rainstick can also be painted and decorated, making it a work of art as well as a percussion instrument. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Put on canvas gloves to protect your hands from cactus spines. Find a dead Quisco or capado cactus that's not entirely dried out. Cut a 30-inch length of branch with a sharp knife. Cut an extra piece to make plugs for both ends of the rainstick. Do not cut a living, healthy cactus.
2. Pull the spines from the branch with a pair of needlenose pliers, being careful not to break the spines. Set the spines in a small dish and put them aside.
3. Hollow out the branch by pushing the piece of rebar into the branch and moving the bar around in a circular motion. Get as much of the pulp as you can without collapsing the walls.
4. Pick up each spine and place the pointed end on the stem at each spot where you pulled one. Put a thimble on your finger and drive the spine into the branch until the dull end is flush with the branch surface.
5. Set the branch outdoors in full sun until it's dry and hard, inside and out. When it's dry, cut two circular pieces of cactus to act as plugs for both ends of the stick. Plug one end, pressing it in firmly.
6. Fill the rainstick with seeds, beans or lentils. For a 30-inch rainstick, use a full cup of seeds. Plug the other end. Decorate with paint, beads, ribbons or cloth.
Tags: both ends, branch with, capado cactus, into branch, made from