Milk Gourd (enkukuri)

Artist Maasai artist

Datemid–late 20th century

MediumGourd, leather, beads, and thread

DimensionsHeight (including lid): 29 1/2 in. (74.9 cm)
Circumference (at widest point): 15 in. (38.1 cm)

ClassificationsNatural Substances

Credit LineGift of Julianna Simmons

Object number2017.20.24

On View

On view

Label TextThis milk gourd is a piece of mobile and utilitarian art that, like arts by women, ceramics, and beadwork, falls outside the traditional African arts canon. Easily slung over the shoulder, its elegant, streamlined shape lends itself to the nomadic, pastoralist lifestyle of Maasai peoples.

In southern and eastern Africa, utilitarian items often represent current aesthetic trends. Color, texture, and patterning have symbolic importance that may change from one generation to the next. The intricate beadwork pattern on the leather strap reflects what would have been popular among a particular group of young women when it was made.

ProvenanceAmatuli Fine Art, Johannesburg, South Africa; sold to William B. Simmons, New York, NY, June 13, 2007; given to daughter Julianna Simmons, New York, NY, n.d.; given to NCMA, 2017.
Exhibition HistoryRaleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "The People's Collection, Reimagined," October 7, 2022–present. Object Rights Statement

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