Gourds: The “Green” Art

We have found gourds from ancient cultures that have been used for the same thing we currently use modern made utensils for: water vessels, bowls, vases, ladles, strainers, etc.

Gourd Strainer

Gourds have been found in ancient China, Egypt,

and Native American cultures dating back almost as far as the

presence of men have been found. This gourd strainer is just one of

the many fine examples of how gourds have

been adapted by man to fulfill a useful purpose.

-www.thegourdreserve.com

Gourd PurseThis is the Native American version of a carry all or what we might call a gourd purse.

Women may have carried a gourd purse to hold a deer

hock bone for a needle, perhaps some strips of leather, a spare leather braid holder, or a small

knife. Men might use the to carry

lots of seed for planting, fish to bury with the seed for

fertilizer, maybe even some spare arrow heads.

-www.gourdreserve.com

What we now call life vests…They're actually water wings. The gourds fit under the arm pits (to the back) and the twine keeps them together in the front. Kids

used them until they learned how to swim.

Native Americans even made musical instruments out of gourds. This is a gourd

whistle, or ocarina.

It makes you wonder as you look at modern day utensils such as bowls, spoons, dippers, ladles and spoons, just how much the design of our modern utensils were handed down or patterned after gourds.

Native Americans also used them as birdhouses to attract Purple Martins.

The birds helped chase away crows

from the crops, vultures from

their meat and hides, and they also ate huge numbers of annoying insects.

No wonder the Native

Americans enjoyed having them around!

Did you know….

That humans have totally changed the way that Purple Martins survive ?

Read the article “Purple Martin Gourds” to learn about how!

Questions:

What did Purple Martins use as nests before humans started making birdhouses?

How did the birds benefit from nesting near humans?

How would you define “behavioral tradition shift”?

Do you think it is good that Purple Martins now depend on humans? Why?

As the European settlers moved to America, they adopted the practice of having “birdhouses” around. They often used ceramic or wooden houses instead of the gourds though. Over time, more and more Purple Martins began nesting in man-made birdhouses instead of in the hollow trees and cliff crevices found in nature. The baby birds that were raised in birdhouses then looked for similar nesting sites to lay their eggs and raise their young. Over hundreds of years, the Purple Martin population of the eastern United States has become dependent on humans to provide their nesting sites. If we now fail to provide some form of birdhouses for Purple Martins, it is possible that they could become an endangered species.

Make your own birdhouse

Seeds for birdhouse gourds can be purchased at various locations, including: http://www.seedsavers.org/ http://rareseeds.com/ http://www.sandhillpreservation.com/

Steps for making the gourds can be found at http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/how-to-make-a-gourd-bird-house/index.html

Student Investigations:

Does each gourd have the same number of seeds in it? What is the average #of seeds that birdhouse gourds have in them?

Is every gourd the same size? What is the average circumference of the gourd’s base?

Which color birdhouse do birds prefer?

Extensions/Websites Read more about Purple Martins at http://purplemartin.org/

Listen to the song “Follow the Drinking Gourd” and learn about how its underlying message was used as directions for the underground railroad. http://www.followthedrinkinggourd.org/index.htm

See how artist Judy Arrigotti uses gourds to create beautiful and creative artworkhttp://www.judyarrigotti.com/index.html

Read about gourd history and other information at The Gourd Reservehttp://www.thegourdreserve.com/gourd_history.html

Have fun!