This graceful medicine container was produced by several artists from the Sandawe ethnic group of central Tanzania for use in healing ceremonies likely associated with fertility and pregnancy. Female artists would have created the beads and worked the gourd, while a male artist would likely have sculped the wood elements. Across Tanzania, gourds are strongly associated with women. In central Tanzania, the gourd is specifically a symbol of the maternal line, as the gourd vine makes roots and fruits wherever it touches down. The figure's swollen stomach references pregnancy. The figure's bold, forward-looking gaze and prominent breasts link this work to others produced by matrilineal societies: societies that trace group identity and descent through the mother's line.