African Folklore: An Encyclopedia - Marshalls University

African folklore 310
sociohistorical realities. Although gourd decoration is primarily a woman’s occupation,
men also do this work, as is true among the Hausa.
Yungur men playing dimkedims during
Wora, Dirma, November
1981. Photo © Marla C.Berns.
Pyro-engraving, which involves burning lines into the surface of the gourd with a hot
metal blade, is the most widely used and versatile technique. In pressure-engraving, the
second most common, a sharp point is dragged across the gourd surface with
considerable force. Because so little surface material is removed, the engraved design is
filled with a blackening agent to allow it to stand out crisply against the unmarked
ground.
Although carving and painting are less frequently used, a large variety of decorative
materials can be added to the surface of the gourd, like leather, beads, basketry, or plaited
raffia. Prestigious materials like glass beads (especially in the Cameroon grasslands),
cowrie shells, and metal wire (including brass, copper, and steel, especially in South
Africa) are also applied.
Utility
Gourd containers are essential items of household equipment. Although they are used
primarily by women as utensils and receptacles for food and drink, men also own bottle
gourds carried as canteens. Moslem men carry gourd flasks for religious ablutions.
Although not seen often in northern Nigeria, smoking pipes made from bottle-shaped
gourds are popular across the continent, particularly in the eastern and central regions.
The gourd’s many domestic uses, and the care with which the gourd is decorated,
enhance its ability to communicate about social as well as economic values. Among
many groups in northeastern Nigeria, collections of decorated gourds are an essential part
of bridewealth payments or dowries. Marriage customs often dictate that a bride take to
her new husband as many as (and often more than) a hundred decorated gourd containers,
ranging in size from large bowls to small cups.