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HABITAT LEARNING LAB:

Investigate the History of Gourds

Investigate Gourds


Gourds have many uses and have for thousands of years. Some gourds are grown for food while others are grown to use as tools, decorations, musical instruments, or containers.

Native Americans were creative and inventive in their multi-uses for things that they could grow or find in nature, gourds included.


Investigate Gourds

Gourds have many uses and have for thousands of years. Some gourds are grown for food while others are grown to use as tools, decorations, musical instruments, or containers.

Native Americans were creative and inventive in their multi-uses for things that they could grow or find in nature, gourds included.

 

Brookwood Forest Elementary grew gourds and then used them as birdfeeders

Learn More About...

What is a Gourd?

Uses for Gourds

What is a gourd?

The group:

  • A gourd is a fleshy fruit with a hard skin such as pumpkins and squash
  • These plants are in a family (grouping of organisms) Cucurbitaceae
  • Watermelon, cucumber, zucchini, and cantelope are also in this group
  • This group of plants is diverse (has a great variety) – over 700 species in the group
  • These plants are classified based on their leaves, seeds, and fruit stalks

A variety of Cucurbits
Britannica

Characteristics of gourds:

  • Gourds are colorful, come in many shapes, and their skin can be smooth or ridged
  • Gourds are believed to be one of the oldest domesticated (once wild, but tamed by humans) plant species
  • Gourds have been found in:
    • Egyptian tombs dating back to 2,000 – 4,000 B.C.
    • Florida dating back to 11,000 B.C.
    • Peruvian archaeological sites dating from 23,000 – 11,000 B.C.

Uses for Gourds

Uses for Gourds:

Gourds have been used by many civilizations throughout thousands of years of history. Notably were the Native Americans that inhabitated the country before Europeans settled here.

  • Between 1,000 and 1,500 A.D., Native Americans farmed, hunted, and fished.
  • They lived in small towns or homesteads, maintained trade networks, had powerful leaders, and shared similar symbols rituals.
  • Tribes of Alabama: Cherokee, Chocktaw, chickasaw, and Creek
  • They were creative with their uses for things that they could grow or find in nature.

Choctaw-inspired Gourd Art
Cathy Nyman

Early uses:

  • In the beginning, gourds were used for many basic purposes like jewelry, utensils, dishes, and undecorated containers.
  • People began using carving and burning techniques on the gourds.
  • They were later decorated, hollowed out, dried, and filled with small materials and used as shaken instruments for songs and ceremonies.

Creek-inspired Rattle
Mission Dely Rey

Bird Houses:

  • A significant use of gourds for Native Americans was as bird houses to attract colonies of purple martins.
  • Martins are insectivores (only eat insects) that catch their prey while flying.
  • They eat dragonflies, wasps, moths, butterflies, flies, beetles, and other insects that are active during the day.
  • Colonies of martins can make a large impact on insect populations, so they were a natural source of insect control in early days!
  • To read more about this historical and current use of gourds to attract martins, CLICK HERE.

Purple Martins at Gourd House
James Audubon

Storage:
  • Gourds storing foods and other belongings were tied to trees to protect the items from animals or carried as canteens.
    • They stored rubbing oils, body dyes, medicines, seeds, bait, and gunpowder.
  • Gourds were used as cooking pots to boil food
    • They would be filled with water before hot rocks were dropped in to heat the water.
  • They could be made into ladles for pouring and spreading butter onto cooking stones.

Medicinal uses:

  • Different parts of the plant from different species were used for different purposes to treat humans and sick horses.
  • Sometimes the part of the plant was used on a similar part of the body.
    • For example, the root may be used to treat the feet.
    • The top of the gourd would be used to treat ailments in the head.
    • Teas were made from different parts of the plant.

Luffa Gourd
Wikimedia

Gourds today:

  • Some gourds are still used today!
  • The Luffa gourd is used to make non-food items such as scrubbing sponges, oil filters, life preservers, hats, and upholstery.

INFORMATION SOURCES