Penis sheath. A curving bottle gourd with a woven rattan band around the open end. A synthetic line is tied to the rattan band at one end, and appears to have been originally attached to the sheath’s tip. The gourd is cracked at the open end with one edge overlapping the other. This appears to be part of the design to allow gourd to fit inside woven band. There are scorch marks at the tip and on one side.

Penis sheath made of a crescent-shaped bottle gourd that is broken at the open end. Here, it is folded inward to create a smaller opening which is wound with a plant fibre strip. The gourd has several scorch marks.

Penis sheath is a crescent-shaped bottle gourd with a 2cm band of woven rattan fibre clasped around the thick end and a thin bast string attached to the band. Remnants of lime remain on the band and string. The small end is sealed.

Painted bark cloth mask. Body of mask is made of a single piece of bark cloth, sewn together at the back of the head with the neck and shoulder portion remaining loose. A round panel stitched to the front is painted with large eyes, thick eyebrows and an open mouth with teeth. A large protruding nose of cloth emerges from the centre of the face. The forehead comes to a peak above the face panel. Two large oblong ears are attached to the piece on either side of the face and angle upwards. The body and head are painted with lines and colour blocks in blue, yellow and brown. The back of the cloth has paint marks from the painting on the front.

Rattle made of strands of plant material curved to form a handle, and then widening to form the bodies of two joined rattles. The same material is wrapped around the handle, and around itself at the base of the handle in order to hold the twin rattles firmly together. Intertwined between the strands on the rattles are strips of leaf (coconut?) in an open weave. Large round pieces of gourd form the base of each rattle. Inside are small white seeds that make a sharp noise when the object is shaken.

Necklace of cowrie shells with a gourd pendant. A double line of cowrie shells makes up the majority of the chain, strung on plastic fishing line. At the bottom are three pairs of shells interspersed with three strands of plastic beads in black red and white. A small brown gourd hangs below this, covered in a loosely woven covering of raffia, with a raffia tassel hanging below. The gourd is embellished with three evenly spaced decorations of a cowrie shell surrounded by a circle of beads.

Staff made of thick, stiff strands of dried grass, wrapped with raffia in an open weave to make up the handle. From the bottom protrudes a tuft of raffia, wrapped with a band of woven white fabric and grey plastic twine. Two circular patches of raffia are attached close to the base, topped with cowrie shells arranged in a flower motif. The top of the staff is covered in unbleached cotton, edged with two kinds of braided synthetic banding. Attached to the cotton are three small gourd rattles, also wrapped in open raffia weaving, each with a single cowrie shell and plastic bead decoration. Three lines of cowrie shells are glued to the cotton between the gourds.

The Elizabeth Cole Butler Collection. Collected: Elizabeth Cole Butler

Container made of a gourd, rounded and oblong with a relatively wide, round foot. The gourd is covered with basketry, which is itself covered in a thick dark substance. The wooden lid (part b) is carved into 4 creatures, the top being a man with a long head and face, topped by a cylindrical hat. He sits on a horse with a stylized human face. The horse balances on a smaller two legged creature, also with a human-like face, who in turn balances on an even smaller creature with a human-like face, smiling. Beneath the four is the small, round lid and stopper that fits into the mouth of the container. The lid is partly covered by a shiny substance.

Small container made of a gourd. Part ‘a’ is the gourd which is long and bulbous at the bottom, narrowing at the long neck, with a small opening at top. Wrapped string and pitch surround the rim, and a white paste residue is inside the mouth. Part ‘b’ is a long and relatively straight stick that is inserted into the container. The bottom two-thirds is a bleached white colour, while the top is a light brown with a shiny finish. The top is carved into a handle. Part ‘c’ is a round, gold metal cap that sits on the mouth of the gourd to prevent the lid from falling into the container.