Gourd Trivia

Did you know . . .

1. The gourd was used as the official currency of Haiti in the early 1800s. Even today, the standard coin of Haiti is called a gourde.

2. Gourds are used as a source of food in many cultures including India, Thailand and Asia.

3. The ancient Hawaiians had over 40 uses for the gourd.

4. The Fulani people of West Africa have at least 20 different terms referring to the size and use of the gourd.

5. The gourd is used as metaphor for the Big Dipper, a constellation that points the way North. The song, Follow the Drinking Gourd, was created by enslaved African Americans. The lyrics were coded directions explaining how and when to escape from the southern slave states to the North.