Gourds

Cohanzick Lenape Gourd Photos

Considering all that I create, I think my "No Face Ancestor," Lenape Gourd Art, may be the dearest to me. This gourd art is a creation from my heart that was inspired after many years of meditation. Gourds take many years before they can be created into another form, from when I hold the seed in my hand and place it in the fertile soil as I watch it grow and take shape. Sometimes, I stare at the form that it takes, and it speaks to me and tells me what it should be. The gourd's seed carries my ancestors; it brings the past, then it continues to give life; it provides beauty; it is a gift.
Each seed has the mark of its ancestor, and each gourd influences the past. I think of my ancestors as I plant the seed in this fertile soil, and I give thanks that I can be a part of a long creation process. Sometimes, I hold the gourd in my hands for many hours before it speaks to me and describes what it should be. Sometimes, I can turn it into a vessel or a rattle, but other times when I hold the gourds, they inspire me to become a Lenape "No Face Ancestor." This art is a long tradition among the Lenape.