STORAGE GOURD WITH LOCK MECHANISM
[1-3]: STORAGE GOURD WITH LOCK MECHANISM
[4,5]: The people of the Grassfields region have a strong design sensibility for calabashes, utilizing them in intelligent ways. Men are seen drinking from gourds in [4], and [5] depicts a farmer growing gourds, both showing a thriving rhythm of everyday use and production.
[6]: A different storage gourd with the same design elements - trapezoid door cut, woven loops for registering the “lock”, a stick threaded through to lock the door to the gourd, a woven cord at its neck to hang the gourd off the ground away from children and animals - showing yet another distinct and intentional typology of calabash container design from the Grassfields region.
From: Bamileke culture, Grassfields region, Cameroon 🇨🇲Source [1-3]: @hamillgalleries (@amyasnaegele)
“…fitted with a small trapezoidal door as well as a locking mechanism fashioned from fiber loops and a porcupine quill…”
Source [4]: “A drinking round in Banso” by Zürcher, Wilhelm. Banso people, Cameroon. Date late: 31.12.1937. Basel Mission Archives (www.bmarchives.org)
Source [5]: “Growing bottle-calabashes in Banga near Bombe” by Rohde, Reinhold Theodor. Bakundu region, Cameroon. Date late: 31.12.1913. Basel Mission Archives (www.bmarchives.org)
Source [6]: @amyasnaegele
“…In the Grassfields of northwest Cameroon, the Bamileke and their neighbors carve small doors into cultivated gourds while they are still fresh and supple. By cutting on a bias and creating triangular or trapezoidal shapes, the cutouts can later be replaced in the openings to form neatly fitting doors. Series of woven loops are made on the gourd and cutout, producing a locking device. After the container is hollowed out and dried, it is fitted with a length of cord affixed through a hole at the top. It can then be stocked with anything from chilies to medicinal herbs and stored out of the way of children and rats from the walls or rafters.”
Observations:
design by responding to nature, unique typology, considering the user’s experience, multi-purpose design, formal harmony, visual harmony, material-led design, intelligence & sustainability