Tobacco Container

Hollow gourds with stoppers are used to carry tobacco.

The Wixáritari are known to the larger world as the Huichol, however that is not the name they use to refer to themselves.

contemporary; tourist art; ritual

Five small rounded gourds joined together with lengths of twisted palm fibre(?), cord and yarn. Each gourd is pierced at sides near top, cord is inserted and knotted, gourd with red yarn passes through without being knotted. Each gourd has small round hole at top, and two have stoppers (parts a and d). Two undecorated gourds (parts d and e), while remaining three have external decorations: 1) deer skin, some hair remains (part a); 2) grid pattern created by wrapping orange- pink, blue, yellow and red yarn horizontally and vertically (part b); 3) grey- brown cloth with red cross stitching in eight pointed star, top and sides sewn with blue yarn, tassels at each lower corner (part c).