In Africa, the Kikuyu tribe use a hand made bag to bring a gift when visiting another home – the bag is returned when they are leaving. But it is always returned with something small inside – a simple gesture of gratitude and appreciation.
They also use a gourd to carry porridge or beer as an offering and whoever receives the gourd polishes it with castor oil before returning it. Over time the gourd becomes highly varnished. The deeper the colour of your gourd the more generous you have been and the more connected you are to the world around you.