This gourd medicine container has a finely carved wooden stopper depicting a standing female figure holding at her front a small child. The child is positioned with its arms bent outwards and both figures have been wrapped together with a strand of early white glass beads. Similar beads also decorate the mid section of the gourd container. It is likely this container would have been used in some form of a fertility ritual. The traditional healer can be a male or female, with female healers being common amongst the Kaguru and the neighbouring cultures of northern Tanzania.
Estimated Period: Mid-20th Century (Or Before)
Height: 27cm
NBN.GEO
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