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Cactus rainsticks have been around for an extremely long time. They were made and used by Native American tribes when they performed dances, in the hope to bring about rain that would help their crops and land flourish.
As their name suggests, the best cactus rainsticks are still made from actual cactus plants these days. After the plentiful Capado cactus plant lives about six decades, it dies and dries out, and is then harvested, cleaned, and hollowed out by native artisans. The spines are pushed into the hard wood body, or small sticks are inserted, and many very small pebbles are sealed inside. Because cactus rainsticks are connected to tribal cultures, you’ll often find rainsticks with different patterns or decorations symbolic of that connection.
The unique “rain” sound is produced by turning the stick from end to end. As the pebbles slide from one end of the stick to the other, they create a gentle rattling that mimics the sound of rain.
The best cactus rainsticks are still used in traditional rain ceremonies throughout South America today, and in meditation practices here in North America too. Rainsticks also show up on many musical recordings, adding a layer of sound to say, a jazz or new-age track.
This percussion instrument is easy for anyone to pick up (no pun intended), from an avid musician looking to add a new instrument to their collection or even a teacher trying to capture the attention and fascination of his or her students.
One thing to note: a good cactus rainstick can vary based on its size. Larger cactus rainsticks will provide a louder and more sustained sound, while shorter rainsticks work better as shakers. The sizes are wide-ranging, and you can get one as short as 10 inches or as large as 60 inches.
