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What fruit crop may pre-date agriculture?

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Gourd centerpieces, Gourd boxes, Gourd kalimba thumb piano, Gourd tambourine—>Click here.

Gourd tambourine (wall decor), Gourd huiro, National Geographic Magazine—>Click here.

There are numerous fruits loosely called gourds, but one, the hard-shelled bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) Standley) became a worldwide crop thousands of years before European exploration. It is generally accepted that its home was tropical Africa. (The Garden of Gourds, L.H. Bailey, 1958)

Though seldom considered, humans also needed to dip
and carry water. Before the advent of agriculture,
wild type gourds would have been recognized
as small useful containers.
Painted Gourds Art Print
Robert Rivera
Buy Art Print at AllPosters.com

Hunter-gatherers simply depended upon nature to supply their resources--food, clothing, shelter, and containers. Humans probably used anything (a slab of bark or large leaf) to hold nuts, berries, or roots, but transporting these items on a slab or leaf would be difficult. Though seldom considered, humans also needed to dip and carry water. Before the advent of agriculture, wild type gourds would have been recognized as small useful containers.

There is no way to determine how gourds were first used, or even when, but the plants spread from Africa probably as seeds discarded on travels. Later, as their usefulness was apparent, gourds were trade goods. The Polynesians introduced gourds through the Pacific islands; the Hawaiians 'exploited' gourds to the highest, finding more than forty uses for the fruit.

Young gourds can be eaten and dried mature gourds made into bowls, dippers, drinking cups, cooking pots, floats for fishing nets, storage containers, and musical instruments. Ancient Romans even shaped gourds to give them decorative as well as functional uses. John Gerard wrote, "The Gourd (saith Pliny, lib.19. cap.5) growth into any forme or fashion that you would have it, either like unto a wreathed Dragon, the leg of a man, or any other shape, according to the mould wherein it is put whilest it is young." (The Herbal or General Historie of Plants, 1633 edition)

It is obvious why humans domesticated wheat, corn, beans, and other edibles. However, so many varieties of the bottle gourd exist in so many places that it is thought the first intentionally cultivated crop. The leap to agriculture may well have started with the useful bottle gourd.

The Cucurbit Network has a page of postal stamps showing various uses for gourds. To view the stamps, click on the link:

http://www.cucurbit.org/pages/stamps/africst.html

Additional links are found at the bottom of the page.

George R. Gibson has written an excellent article on the history of banjos created from gourds. The history of this unique instrument can be viewed on the beautifully executed website of David G. Hyatt. To learn more about the history of music, click on the link:

http://www.dhyatt.com/history.html

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Gourd kalimba thumb piano, 'Estrela'

An estrela ("star") illuminates the face of this elegant kalimba. Handcrafted by Tuca, her preference for natural materials emerges clearly from the design, as she uses the gourd of the cabaça fruit for the body and completes the piece with a sturdy strap of woven sisal fiber.

The kalimba, or thumb piano, originates in Africa, where each tribe employs a distinctive style with variations in appearance, size, materials, and tuning. Brought to Brazil by slaves during the colonial period, the instrument usually consists of anywhere from 4 to 20 iron keys. The sound of the kalimba is rich and intimate, combining well with violins, flutes, and a wide range of handheld percussion instruments. Suitable for simple melodies, it may also form intricate harmonies, although it remains an easy instrument for beginners to learn.

Mate gourd huiro, 'Astral Signs'

A series of chakanas appear on this beautiful huiro by Tito Medina. One of the pre-Hispanic astral symbols that presided over the Andean universe, the chakana symbolizes order in family and community life and sustains the teachings of Andean ancestry.

Medina crafts the huiro from a mate gourd, using a sharp burin to carve the images before adding color with smoke and ash. A coat of varnish then protects the piece.

As a rhythm instrument, the huiro contains dried beans that rattle when it is shaken; in addition, a row of grooves adorns one side—these are scraped with a polished eucalyptus wood stick for an interesting sound. There may be slight variations in tone, form, or imagery from those pictured; they ensure the uniqueness of the artwork.

Wollemi Pine

National Geographic®

Exclusively from National Geographic, this survivor from the age of the dinosaurs is one of the greatest living fossils discovered in the 20th century. The Wollemi pine is one of the world's oldest and rarest tree species, belonging to a 200-million-year-old plant family thought to have been extinct for more than two million years.

Previously known only from fossil records, it was presumed extinct until a single tree was found in the Wollemi National Park, Australia, in 1994. Subsequent research discovered 100 adult trees that have survived in a single canyon in this wild and rugged area. Click here to view canyon, trees and fossil record.

You can assist in the conservation effort and enjoy the unique opportunity to ensure the continued survival of this rare species by giving the tree as a gift or growing your own. Suitable for indoor container gardening or as a landscape tree in certain areas of the U.S.

Comes with a care manual with the full story about the discovery and fascinating history of the Wollemi pine. Comes in a copper-colored container and will be approximately 10''H when shipped. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of these plants will fund ongoing conservation research. Click here to get your Wollemi Pine and assist in the conservation effort.

National Geographic Magazine

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