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Cultural Context

religious; ceremonial

Description

Rattle made of six cones of tin attached to a wooden handle. The cones consist of different sizes, three wide and long, and three shorter and smaller in diameter. All are crimped at the handle, where they fit into a metal ring that joins them to the handle. Each cone widens toward the base. The larger three contain a wire hung with a metal nut as a clapper. The cones are decorated with circle and line motifs pressed into the tin. The wooden handle has an engraved line that spirals from end to end.

Narrative

This item is part of a set, acquired from the O Mundo dos Orixás shop, Madureira Market, in Rio de Janeiro.

History Of Use

The adjá is a primary liturgical instrument of the Afro-Brazilian religion Candomblé. During Candomblé ceremonies it is used for several purposes: to indicate the beginning of a ceremony, to call the orixás, to guide those who perform the dances, and to keep the orixás’ energy in the terreiro (sacred ground). It can only be played by those who have become yawôs after completing the first seven years of Candomblé education. The yawô is presented with the right to use the adjá by an orixá during a public ceremony, after which they become an “Adjá Hand.”