THE POWER OF COLOR TYPES OF BEADS GROWING CALABASH GOURDS STORY OF SEKERE AND AGOGO
HOW GOURDS ARE USED TRADITIONALLY AND IN THE
"NEW" WORLD
East Africans give gourds as wedding gifts. They usually have stories carved on them in the form of pictures-pictures that tell a story either about the person receiving the gift or their family, some history, fond wishes like money or children. The patterns represent people, places, things, and events. They can be created to represent and honor deities or to represent certain elements like water or fire.
The upper half of the sekere represents the spirit world and the lower half with the beads is our world in some cultures. In some other cultures, the upper half is air, the lower half is water (a place of life and rebirth) and where the "waistband" is, represents the earth (the division between sky and sea). Since life begins with water, the beads represent the many spirits waiting to be born or reborn.
In most African cultures, nothing really dies or stays dead or is useless after death. The gourd is linked with the ancestors and represents a belief that, like the ancestors, even though the gourd is actually dead and dried, it is still very much a part of the culture, a family and a part of you, if you take the time to bond with her.
Gourds are utilized in some form all over the world - Asia, Hawaii, Brazil, Cuba, U.S.A. and Africa. They can be made into hats (in particular, a beautiful safari hat), birdhouses, flutes and other stringed and percussive musical instruments, vases, urns, dishes and other utensils like spoons, cups and pitchers. I recently saw a pocketbook made of a gourd (look HERE). Masai cattle herders of Kenya use gourds to transport and store milk, and sometimes to deliver substances for rituals. Miniature gourds can be made into charms, which hold herbal medicines for healing and protection in some cultures, and are worn around the neck strung on grass rope.
In Yoruba culture, the Sekere is played in honor of YeYe Osun, the river & fertility deity, depending on what stories you hear. There is also a story that links the Sekere to Sango, the fire & thunder deity. There is yet another story that links the Sekere to no deity, (SEE BELOW)
CHECK OUT AHMONDYLLA BEST. She was one of my sekere teachers in New York years ago. Her website has some interesting information about the sekere.
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Colors chosen for skirts should represent something significant regarding the creator's personality. The colors can be chosen as a memorial to someone or to honor a deity or a person or simply your favorite color(s).
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GROWING CALABASH GOURDS IN THE HOME GARDEN
WHEN TO PLANT - Good seed should be sown in hills, 6-8 seeds per hill, after all danger of frost is over. It is unwise to sow too early for they simply will not grow until the soil warms up. They can be started in pots in the greenhouse 3 weeks before they are to be set out in the garden, thus gaining a few weeks on the ones planted directly in the soil. They should be started sooner than that up North and even then, there may not be sufficient time in that area for the fruit to ripen properly. The roots should not be disturbed in transplanting, but the entire pot of undisturbed roots and soil set out in one careful operation. This can be accomplished with peat "pots". When the time comes, the "pot" can be planted in the soil and eventually becomes a part of the soil while the roots grow right through it. The roots of gourds are very close to the soil surface, so in hoeing, one should be careful not to disturb the roots. All gourds should be grown in full sunshine.
Theoretically gourds should be trained on a trellis, up some chicken wire or over some brush to keep the fruits off the ground. Most of us do not have time for that and are willing to take our chances with a few of the fruits being marred on the ground. At least put down some straw. Seeds might be planted twice their length deep in good soil. When seedlings are up, the hills might be thinned to about 4 plants per hill, the hills being about 8 ft. apart. If the seed was "mixed", remember that the seedlings will show variation and one should not remove all the smallest seedlings, because these might just be the varieties with the desired and interesting fruits.
Gourd vines take up more space than most people have in a "normal" backyard. Start with one hill the first year. DO NOT plant seeds near other plants or near a fence. The vines will take over your neighbor's yard as well. When the fruits appear, slip them into nylon stockings or wire netting to help save them from squirrels and birds.
Use 25-35 lb. or 5-10-10 fertilizer for 1000 sq. ft. of garden. To be on the safe side, you might want to see to pollination yourself. They need ample water and should be given plenty of it during drought periods.
PRUNING - Pruning the vines can increase the number of fruits on each vine. The main stem should be allowed to grow until it is 10 ft. long, then the end can be removed. It is on this part that mostly male flowers are borne. The lateral shoots bear mostly pistillate flowers - an imperfect flower with a pistil, or seed organ, but having no functional stamens (male pollen producing organs). If the end bud of the main shoot is snipped off after the shoot is 10 ft. long, then the first lateral shoots have the main end buds taken off them when each shoot has developed about 4 leaves, this is sufficient for the pruning. Any sublateral shoots - those shoots growing from sideshoots - developing after this are allowed to grow at will. This type of pruning can aid in the production of more fruits.
HARVESTING - Gourds must be thoroughly ripened on the vine before they are picked, for if picked when green or immature they will soon rot. The stem where the gourd is attached to the vine should be watched. When this starts to shrivel and dry up, then the gourd should be picked. If you're in a deep Southern state, you may leave them on the vine to dry completely. It is best to cut them off the vine with shears, saving a few inches of stem on each gourd, rather than roughly tearing them off the vine, often severing the stem right at the end of the gourd. If roughly done, this can injure the gourd/vine connection just enough to allow disease to enter the fruit and rot. These guys are always looking for a reason to rot before they dry. The gourds should not be left out in the field, but rather brought in and washed, often with a mild disinfectant, and set aside a few days to dry thoroughly. The idea is to wash off any soil or impurities which may have become attached to the shell. After a few days they can then be carefully waxed (optional) with any floor paste wax. Some will undoubtedly rot, but the majority, if picked when fully mature, will harden nicely and can be used for years. In the South, calabash gourds are easy to grow and to mature, but in the North it is very difficult to grow them properly. They include the Bottle, Dipper, Kettle and Bird's Nest.
NOTE:It is of interest to note that markings can be made on the shells of any of these gourds when they are half ripe and growing on the vines. Thus, initials, characters, rough line sketches made at this time, eventually look as if they had actually grown on the shell. Also wires, strings or even containers can be placed around the developing fruits in such ways as to permanently change and control the shape. Thus, it is possible to have a square gourd (forced to grow within some confining metal or concrete box). Disease is a concern and the gourd should be disinfected often after its skin has been broken.
Gourd growing tips excerpted from Wyman's Gardening Encyclopedia by Donald Wyman
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In Yoruba belief, the spirit of everything
that exists physically on earth, first existed in heaven. That includes all
things living and inorganic. The instrument we know today as a sekere, was one of
these, as was his friend in heaven, Agogo Bell. On earth, the agogo bell is a
bell percussion
instrument. It is made of iron and its shape is like that of a cone with a
handle at its pointed end.
Of course, in heaven they did not live or
look the way they do now. In fact, they had no idea how they would live or what
they would look like once they came into the earthly world. But, for the time
being, Mr. Agogo Bell lived like a prince. He had the finest of everything and
wanted for nothing. He was popular and well respected by his friends, of which
Sekere was one. He had a beautiful family that loved him dearly. All these
blessings made Mr. Agogo Bell rather arrogant and a little conceited.
Unfortunately, Sekere did not live such a
perfect and idyllic life, despite heaven’s reputation for being paradise. Even
though he did not possess material wealth, he was certainly wealthy in spirit.
Still, he couldn’t help but admire Agogo’s great good fortune. The time for him
to come into the earthly world was rapidly approaching and he grew concerned. He
decided he would do whatever was necessary to live a happy, productive and
prosperous life on earth. The only way he knew of to learn how to do that was to visit the
Babalawo.
Now, the Babalawo is a very high priest who
spends many years, if not his entire life, studying and training to understand
complex questions whose answers elude mankind.
Sekere, having a very sociable
personality, invited Agogo to accompany him to the home of the Babalawo. Since
the time for him to enter the earthly world was also close at hand, and to be a
good and loyal friend, Agogo agreed to visit the Babalawo with Sekere. Sekere
was very excited and could hardly wait to learn how to improve his life when he
reached earth. Agogo, on the other hand, had never experienced struggle. He
believed life would be the same on earth as it had been in heaven. He could not
wish for a better life than he already had, so he would not seek to change it.
The chosen Babalawo lived quite far from
the homes of Agogo and Sekere. The trip was long and uncomfortable. It was
especially so for Agogo, for he was never too keen about going along in the
first place. He was impatient with any inconvenience. He was accustomed to
everything working out in a pleasant way.
Sekere was not thrilled with the way the trip
was turning out either, but in his usual tolerant way, he decided not to
complain. He was confident that the uncomfortable trip would be worth it in the
end.
At last, the trip came to an end. They
were politely welcomed into the Babalawo’s home and led into a small room where
the priest sat on a large grass mat. He looked up briefly and greeted them, then
cast his eyes back to his divining tools laid out on the mat. He did not look at
them again. Two stools were placed directly in front of the Babalawo and they
were told to sit.
They waited patiently for him to finish
reciting his prayers and incantations. When he finally began to speak, it was as
though he was speaking to one individual instead of the two.
“Your life will be filled with good
fortune,” he said.
They had to listen carefully, for he was
very old and his voice was nearly a whisper.
“You will be greatly sought after,” he
continued slowly. “Once the world hears your voice, they will desire to hear it
wherever they gather in joy and happiness. You will open many doors and bring
prosperity for those who will be closest to you. Every nation across the earth
will be the happier for having met you.”
Agogo considered the trip a waste of his
valuable time, for the Babalawo was giving him no new information he could use.
However, out of respect for the venerable Babalawo, he resolved to be polite and
listen for as long as he could.
Everything the Babalawo said was good news
to Sekere. This was exactly the outcome for which he had hoped. He hung on the
priest’s every word.
When the Babalawo had finished the
divination, he asked if there were any questions. After receiving no response,
he gave a very important final instruction.
“If you wish to live the life of happiness
and prosperity that was predicted, you are required to make sacrifice,” he
warned. “We do not receive without giving.”
Although deceit and avarice are not the
norm in heaven, Agogo felt he had every right to be skeptical. He wondered what the going price would
be for useless information.
“I’m not surprised,” Agogo sighed. “How
much?”
The old priest ignored the rude remark
saying, “I suggest 2,000 cowry shells.”
We use cowry shells as decoration
nowadays. But, long, long ago, specific groups of them were woven together on
string and those groupings were used as currency. Needless to say, it would be
easy for Agogo to raise that much. However, he did not feel that the Babalawo
had given information worth 2,000 cowries. He decided that 200 cowry shells
would be more than reasonable. That is what he gave and impatiently took his leave.
When Sekere heard the amount, he was heart
broken. ‘I might just as well not have come at all,’ he thought sadly. ‘To come
so far only to have my fondest possibilities dashed.’
Never one to give up, Sekere agreed to
somehow return with the 2,000 cowries. Nobody knows to this day how he did it,
but in a relatively short time, Sekere managed to scrape together the 2,000
cowry shells. But that wasn’t all. He also brought a large bottle gourd, a ball
of string and 2,000 beautiful golden beads as extra offerings. It even left the
Babalawo in a state of surprise and wonder.
When word got out about Sekere’s
sacrifice, it became the most talked about event in all of heaven. Of course,
word eventually got back to Agogo. Being proud of his decision to give only 200
cowries, he had related the story to all his friends. Now, hearing of Sekere’s
generosity, he felt ashamed and wished he could take back all the bragging he
had done. He could think of only one thing to do. He would return to the
Babalawo with an addition to the 200 cowry shells.
Of all the things in heaven he could’ve
offered as an addition, we’ll never know what possessed him to make the choice he did. Agogo
returned to the Babalawo and proudly added to his 200 cowries, one wooden stick.
The time finally came for Agogo and Sekere
to enter the earthly world. They wished each other all the best and were on
their separate ways. They arrived on earth as the percussion instruments we know
today. The Babalawo’s predictions were exactly right. They are both greatly
sought after, once the world hears their voices, everyone desires to hear them
wherever there is a gathering in joy and happiness, they open many doors and
bring prosperity to the musicians who play them, and every nation across the
earth is happier for having heard them. However, the manner in which these
instruments exist and are presented, is very different beginning with their
physical creation.
The blacksmith fashions the agogo bell from
iron by pounding its red hot metal into shape with a huge hammer. Afterwards,
the percussionist pounds agogo with a wooden stick. Each time the stick strikes
the bell, we hear the agogo's voice drying out, "I gave 200 cowries, my life is
hard, believe me; I gave 200 cowries, my life is hard, believe me." To us,
it sounds like a 6/8 rhythm sometimes.
Ever since the sekere entered the world, its delicate gourd is handled with tenderness. A skirt or 2,000 colorful beads is strung into a net to adorn the graceful, round belly. When shaken, the beads s peak with a lush, harmonic voice singing, "I gave 2,000 cowries, my life is cool, believe me; I gave 2,000 cowries, my life is cool, believe me." To us, this also sounds like a 6/8 rhythm sometimes.
To this day, we hear agogo crying, "I gave 200 cowries, my life is hard, believe me; I gave 200 cowries, my life is hard, believe me." While sekere is singing, "I gave 2,000 cowries, my life is cool, believe me; I gave 2,000 cowries my life is cool, believe me."
THE END OF A STORY...THE BEGINNING OF A TRADITION