The Calabash Cutlery

There are many different opinions and beliefs about the use of calabash within Surinamese society. Religion especially played an important role in forming these opinions. During the times of slavery, the rituals and beliefs held by enslaved people were despised, prohibited and considered uncivilized and heathen by the white oppressors. The church was a predominant factor here. Attributes and objects connected to ritual processes were strictly forbidden in supposedly modern and civilized Christian contexts.

Because the enslaved people also used the calabash for ritual, healing and spiritual purposes, it was strongly associated with comparable heathen objects. The church thus regarded the use of calabash as a sinful act. As I was raised in a strict Christian family, the use of calabash was not common. But, during my research for my doctoral thesis in social anthropology, I became fascinated with the rituals and customs of the Afro-Surinamese culture. As such, I got involved with events and home situations of informants who did give the calabash a central position in their lives.

I was, for example, invited for a spiritual event to close off the year, called Taki Tangi (Give Thanks). In order to participate in this event, each participant had to bring their own calabash to eat and drink from, as well as an accompanying calabash spoon. The event was meant to bring an ode to the ancestors and consume a meal together with them as thanks for their guidance during the past year, and to ask them for further guidance in the coming year. I had to ask a friend to help me find these specific objects, because I knew nothing about them. On the night of the event, while I was eating and drinking from the calabash, I experienced a deep connection with a pure, spiritual power within me. It seemed as if I had made direct contact with the past through the calabash. A vivid realization of my ancestors’ existence came upon me, as well as the recognition of the powers of the calabash. Many of my informants mentioned the powers of the calabash to create a consciousness about the past. This power makes us see who we are today, descendants of a people that, in spite of the oppression, humiliation, disruption and deprivation, succeeded in building a sturdy and rich culture.

From that day onwards, I introduced the use of the calabash in my own home. The eating and drinking calabash, as well as the calabash spoon, are mostly used on special days, such as the celebration of the abolition of slavery in Suriname (1st of July 1863-1873). On such special days, a large calabash in the bathroom serves as a scooping bowl to take a fresh herbal bath.