What is a Rain Stick?

Series Summary

Anyone who says that sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain. When the skies open up to pour water on the earth, we are cleansed and rejuvenated. Nothing can compare to rainy days. For many of us, the sound of the rain brings tranquility into our hectic life. There is something so enchanting in the sound and smell of rain. While we may not be able to control the rain, there is a way to replicate the sound. A rain stick, made from a hollow tube with beans, can simulate the sound of rain falling. The rainstick is thought to be invented by natives in South America. Believed to bring rainstorms, the rain stick was traditional carved out of a dried cactus stems. Today, children and adults are memorized by this percussion instrument.

Video Transcript

"Hi, this is Ginny, with Simply Beautiful Crafts, on behalf of Expert Village. Just exactly is a rain stick ? Who makes rain sticks? And How are they made? Well this is a rain stick and rain sticks are made by people in Africa , they were made by the Aztecs, they are made by Native American and this particular rain stick was made by the Deaquitrix Tribe, people who live in Chile, just below the Andes mountains. How are real rains sticks made? People take a cactus that has died and has fallen down and while it is still soft, or just beginning to dry out they'll cut it into sticks the lengths they want, then as you can see here the thorns of the cactus are pulled off and turned around and pushed back into the cactus, all along the cactus, in holes that are naturally. These spiral down or go up and down depending on the type of cactus. Then the cactus is put in the sun to dry and a piece of the cactus is put in the bottom to seal it. Then the cactus is filled with something natural, this particular rain stick is filled with little pebbles. I know that Native Americans, in the south west of Arizona make rain sticks and fill them with the seeds of the cactus. We are going to make rain sticks too, and if we are not fortunate enough to have a piece of cactus laying around there are other things we can use. So won't you join me make a rain stick?"