Maasai Beaded Gourd Vessel – East African Tribal ArtKenya / Tanzania | Maasai Beadwork | ~24" Overall Length
An authentic and visually compelling Maasai beaded gourdvessel from East Africa (Kenya/Tanzania) — a genuineethnographic artifact of the Maasai people, one ofAfrica's most celebrated beadwork traditions.
THE OBJECT:The vessel is a dried bottle gourd (calabash —Lagenaria siceraria) with elongated neck and fullbulbous body — the classic form used throughoutEast Africa for carrying water, milk, fermentedbeverages, or medicine. The gourd body is staineddeep reddish-brown with red ochre — the signaturepigment of Maasai material culture — and wrappedin hand-stitched raw hide leather, darkened withage and use.
Among the Maasai, decorated gourds — particularlymilk gourds used to carry and ferment mursik(fermented milk) — were important prestige objects.Maasai women decorated these vessels with beadworkas gifts at ceremonies including marriage, andthey signified the status and skill of their maker.
THE BEADWORK:A central seed bead panel in classic Maasai geometricstyle decorates the leather wrap:- Radiating/butterfly cross motif on black ground- Colors: Red (dominant), cobalt blue, white, orange, yellow, black- Pendant bead strings below the panel- Orange/red bead ring accent at neck- Blue bead ring at body/neck junction- Small metal ferrule at neck tip
The color palette and geometric vocabulary aredefinitively Maasai.
DIMENSIONS: ~24 inches overall length
CONDITION: Good ethnographic condition consistentwith age and use. Gourd and leather show substantialpatina and age staining. Beadwork intact — colorsvivid. Metal ferrule present. No significant beadlosses noted in photos.
Ships in a long padded box with care.
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