Plain seed. First part of a four part series (see 3145/3-5).

Small container with lid, made out of a hollowed gourd. The gourd (part a) is decorated with elaborate carvings of harvest scenes, musicians playing outside a building, fruit picking in an orchard, women talking. Two panels showing a stylized frog divide the scenes. The base of the gourd is decorated with carved geometric designs. The lid (part b) is cut out of the gourd and is convex, bulging in the centre where a stem would be. It is decorated as a stylized flower.

Small container with lid, made out of a hollowed gourd. The gourd (part a) is decorated with elaborate carvings of musicians and dancing, and travellers with donkies. Trees, birds, flowers and huts appear in the background. Six small panels, three on each side, show small animal creatures with arms out-stretched. The base and lid of the gourd are decorated with matching carved geometric designs. The lid (part b) is cut out of the gourd and is convex, rounding toward the centre where a stem would be.

Gift of Mrs. James C. Pryor

Gift of Mrs. James C. Pryor

Gift of Mrs. James C. Pryor

Gift of Mrs. James C. Pryor

Gift of Mrs. Eugene Schaefer

Stringed musical instrument. A long squared neck of wood, carved with several sets of diagonal lines, pierces the top of a round, hollow gourd, emerging as a short peg on the opposite side. Two long wood pins pierce the neck, each holding a metal string that stretch to make contact with a small wood bridge on the gourd, and extend to wrap around the peg. The bridge is glued to a piece of skin stretched over a large hole in the top of the gourd, attached with small wood pins. Gourd is decorated with carved lines in the shape of foliage.

Horned cap-like headdress. Helmet (part a) is made of half a rounded gourd, with rows of cowrie shells evenly sewn on in concentric circles, nearly covering the outer surface. Two long, curving horns, heavily ridged, emerge from the top of the headdress, tips pointing inward toward each other. (One horn--part b--can be removed.) From the rim of the gourd hangs a chin strap of braided tan and black leather with a leather tassel painted with black lines attached at centre along side a long, thin strap of leather covered on one side with cowrie shells, ending in a similar tassel . Parts 'c' through 'i' are similar strips that are detached from the headdress.