The feel of this spoon made from the gourd shell is unique in its culture and is symbolic of the Khond tribe's affiliation with nature and the inventive usage of its resources. The tribe in question here does pertain to the Khonds, an indigenous tribal group in India mainly populating areas in East India, namely the state of Odisha. If there have ever been people living with the forests, these surely include the Khond interplay of tribal and forest-striding subsistence. The spoon has been carved out of the hard outer shell of a dry gourd grown or collected from a nearby place. The bulbous neck has a long neck such that the circular perforation in the body serves as an exit for pouring or sipping fluids. Simple but very much effective, at times it serves double-time as a utensil-a drinking vessel for water, fermented beverages, or medicinal herbal concoctions.
In such entities does then the "ordinary" become significant in the world of the Khonds-culture-laden implications to signify the tribe's self-sufficiency and avowal of its harmony with nature. Smooth and clean-cut perforation-a testimony to the efficiency of the maker, of tradition and inheritance passed down through generations. It fits well into the idea of zero wastage since the remainder of the gourd is either used or returned to Mother Earth. Such crafts and relevant utensils will find application within the spheres of Khond living, be it at feasting for the community or for rituals or even mundane day-to-day uses.