In the Caribbean coastal areas of Colombia, the magic of music and dance was often invoked at night; gathering to dance around a camp fire, chanting, playing drums of all sizes, indigenous flutes, such as the gaitas , or the powerful flauta de millo, which is in fact a transverse relative of the clarinet, and of course shakers such as the maracas... the whole community of slaves unified and was allowed to exist around music.
It is said that the rattling of the shackles on their feet became the rhythmic base of the national genre Colombians call Cumbia, with its classic rhythmic base now being performed by the guasá (wooden cylindric shaker filled with small seeds) and a small drum called llamador, both only marking the up-beats.
The Pennsylvania Flute Choir - Scott Zeplin