Tsonga/Shangaan medicine gourd, South Africa.

Anthropomorphic vessels were used by traditional healers in Mpumalanga, South Africa. They were used to ward off evil, either that sent as a form of witchcraft by another person or that sent by disgruntled ancestors.
The task of the traditional healer is to identify the cause of the sickness or misfortune and then the prescribe suitable medicine that will end the problem.

Protective medicine was then placed inside the gourds and the gourds given to the patient.