Pu'ili: Split Bamboo Rattle

The pu'ili is a split bamboo rattle (pu - to sound, 'ili - bark or skin). A piece of bamboo some 20 inches long and one and one-half to two inches in diameter is split into narrow strips or strands except for a section of about five inches at one end which serves as a handle. Bamboo is cut away to leave spaces between the strands. The player or dancer produces a rustling sound when he or she taps the pu'ili against his, or his partner's shoulder or arm, the floor mat, or another pu'ili.