The fruit of the gourd, one of Africa’s earliest cultivated plants, has long been employed for purposes ranging from the obvious to the ingenious. The hollowed-out shells of gourds are used for storage or for serving food and drink. Gourds may also be used to make musical instruments, smoking pipes, fishing floats, or ritual regalia. The bowls shown here are from northeastern Nigeria where distinctive designs can be identified with particular ethnic groups and even particular artists. Women decorate most gourds, and this is a primary means for them to express their creativity and technical mastery. When food is served in these beautifully ornamented bowls, it is said that the meal becomes “better to eat.”
Object Name: Bowl
Artist: Mairamu Kubo (active mid-20th century)
Cultural Group: Dera peoples
Place of Origin: Nigeria
Date: Circa 1970
Dimension: Gourd
Materials Used: L: 20.9 cm, D: 23.5 cm (L: 8.2 in, D: 9.3 in)
Credit Line and Assession Number: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Barbara Rubin-Hudson. X83.677
Bowl
Artist: Jumai Pitiri Gulcoss
Tera peoples
Nigeria
Circa 1970
Gourd
H: 11.5 cm, Diam: 24.0 cm (H: 4.5 in, Diam: 9.4 in)
Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Barbara Rubin-Hudson. X83.687
Bowl
Kanuri peoples
Nigeria
Circa 1970
Gourd
L: 11.2 in, D: 11.7 in (L: 4.4 in, D: 4.6 in)
Gift of Barbara Rubin-Hudson. X83.797
Bowl
Artist: Ndinuwa Jebre
Gaäanda peoples
Nigeria
1974
Gourd and charcoal
H: 12.2 cm, L: 24.5 cm, W: 17.5 cm (H: 4.8 in, L: 9.6 in, W: 6.9 in)
Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Bruce and Linda Friedman. X85.12
Bowl
Waja peoples
Nigeria
Circa 1980
Gourd and chalk
H: 23.6 cm, D: 24.6 cm (H: 9.3 in, D: 9.7 in)
Gift of Bruce and Linda Friedman. X85.51