Gourd History: Some Practical Uses of Gourds

While gourds today are probably best known as birdhouses and bird feeders, modern artists turn these wonderful fruits into center pieces worthy of a place of honor in even the finest homes. However, historically gourds have survived for their ability to serve man. Throughout gourd history, they have been used as storage containers, carrying devices, large bowls and bottles for liquids. They have been selectively bred for creating dippers to scoop liquids and to stir the cauldron while dying materials, they have been cleaned out, a small hole cut in them so they could be filled with corn, a corn cob used to plug the hole, then buried upside down to prevent animals from getting into the grain, etc.

They have also had some even less commonly known practical uses of gourds such as flotation devices, and there is even a gourd called a penis sheath which was used for, .... well you can probably guess. They have been powder horns for gun powder, canteens for carrying spare water, bottles for storage, purses not only in modern day, but even in ancient cultures for carrying necessities like grain while planting, etc.

The history of gourds around the world, they have been given different stature in different cultures. In Japan, decorated bottle gourds are placed in the house to bring good fortune, odd numbers and preferably 3 or more. In other cultures they have been used as ritual drums. The stories and history of gourds is endless, I even heard one story of their use in aiding in hunting duck by placing several of them out in the water anchored down, until the duck became familiar with them and were no longer concerned about them. Then, the hunter could go out into the water amongst the floating gourds and catch ducks.

Gourds have been found in cultures from ancient Egypt to pre-Columbian Native Americans, to modern day cultures in distant lands. Gourds seem to have accompanied man and assisted him since the dawn of time. They are a wonderful utility, while wood would require a lot of work to hollow out a bowl or to make a bottle, a gourd simply grows in these varieties of shapes, and when dried and the seeds and soft pulp inside are removed, you have a bowl made of a wood like shell.

Gourds are an artistic medium. If you would like to learn more about gourd history, please visit The Gourd Reserve, with over 800 pages of gourd related information and artwork. You can also find more short articles on gourds and growing gourds here on my AC producer page.