Rainstick

A rainstick is a long, hollow tube made from bamboo or dried cactus. Inside the tube are small pebbles, rice, dried beans, or other tiny hard objects. The inside of the tube has small pins or thorns arranged in a spiral pattern. When you turn and hold the rainstick upright, the pebbles fall to the other end, bouncing off the internal thorns to make a sound that sounds like falling rain.

In South America, rainsticks are believed to have been invented by the Mapuche. They were used in the belief that they could bring rainstorms. Rainsticks were also found further north on the coasts of Chile, and may have been used by the Incas. Mapuche rainsticks are usually made from kinds of cactus such as Eulychnia acida and Echinopsis pachanoi. The hollow cacti are dried in the sun, the spines are removed, and then driven into the cactus like nails. Pebbles or other small objects are placed inside, and the ends are sealed.

Versions of this instrument can also be found in Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Australia, and Africa, where it was created separately and often made using bamboo instead of dried cactus. Rainsticks can also be made with everyday items like paper towel rolls, and nails or toothpicks instead of thorns. They are often sold to tourists in parts of Latin America and the Southwestern United States, which has a history influenced by Spanish and Mexican cultures.