Small Red-Toned Medicine Gourd

Bottle gourds have been cultivated by African peoples for millennia. There are numerous varieties which grow in a variety of shapes and sizes. Waisted gourds like this example are useful as containers for transporting and storing water and other liquids such as milk, honey, and medicines. The pinched waist allows for a cord to be cinched around the middle so that the gourd can be hung within a home or carried by a strap. In many African cultures, medicine gourds have carved stoppers, often with architectonic or figural elements that help distinguish between otherwise similar vessels. However, this tradition is far from universal. In some areas, gourds are rendered distinctive by patterns of images etched into their surfaces before the outer surface has hardened. Gourds can also be pyro-engraved or stained with a wax resist technique employed to create patterns or to generate words and names. This particular medicine gourd appears to have been dyed with a crimson vegetal stain. Ex African Art Museum of the SMA, Tenafly, New Jersey. $60

4″

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