Rainstick

Traditional Graran instrument.

There is a common instrument that is often seen and heard but rarely thought of in great detail, the rainstick. Most people, even some seasoned travelers, fail to notice the difference in sound and construction of the humble rainstick. Some are made with the bark of the whitetree and others with riverreed and each is filled with the crop that sustains the people that made it. It isn't just an instrument, it isn't just a ceremonial item, it is a representation of the knowledge and life of the people that make it.

— Takalia, Travels in Grara

Cultural Significance

While it sees use in some smaller regional ceremonies throughout the year the rainstick is most commonly used to aid in the ceremony that calls for the return of the winds and the life-giving rain that is carried on them.

The First Rainstick

Rainsticks have been around since the earliest years of the Time of Rebuilding when the people of Central Grara began to celebrate the Galeforce Festival. The stories credit an unamed farmer with the creation of the first rainstick when they noticed the sound of spilled wheat onto a wooden cart was similar to that of falling rain. This farmer soon created their first instrument by tightly weaving reed around a wooden base and poles and filling it with a small fraction of their harvest.
The original rainstick is currently held in the town of Irusii where it is displayed in Higharches Hall.

Construction Over the Years

Many changes and regional variations have been made to the rainstick in its over three-hundred-year use. Some are made of wood or the thin but sturdy bark of a certain tree for the different sound quality it produces while other less-durable ones are made with string and reed.
The most varied part of the construction is the grain that is used to fill the rainstick. While the original was filled with wheat, others are filled with the crops of their home region such as corn or barley.

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Food of Farmers

There are many different plants cultivated along the large swatchs of land in Central Grara. It is said that corn is anjoyed by all, wheat is for the wealthy, and barley if the food of the farmers.