African calabash

Calabash is the term used for artefacts made from the hard shell of a fruit in the gourd family "Lagenaria siceraria" . It is used for serving or storing food as well as an inkpot, cosmetic container and by market women as a moneybox. Aside from the use as containers, the most numerous preferences are to calabashes used in musical instruments such as the flute, violin, harp, xylophone and the rattle (which is made with seeds inside or with cowries/beads on the outside)