Asante (Ghana) Power Object Gourd, cowrie shells, cord

Used in ritual, this power object (gourd bottle or "ka go") originates from northern Ghana. Encrusted with sacrificial materials, dried mud, sanguine, and other excess matter, this power object has various ritual uses. Used possibly by a priest in treatment of a patient or within the context of a divination ceremony, this object identifies the empowering materials it stores inside and carries other associations. Deemed important based on its natural form and origin, the gourd bottle relates to the belief that Gods are born in a calabash. Among the associated qualities of the gourd, therefore, are life, regeneration, and supernatural empowerment. Cowrie shells, nature's objects with a fertility association recall the female reproductive organs, the eyes, and the earth are attached to this power object.