Dinka Wood Grain Bowl

Black as strong coffee, and faceted like something cut with a patient adze.

A Dinka bowl from Sudan, twentieth century, carved from wood. Just over nine inches long and three inches deep, an oval shape worn smooth at the rim. The outside carries flat planes where the blade passed, each one catching light differently. A fine seam runs across the inside, a little crack that the bowl has simply learned to live with.

The Dinka are herders, and their lives revolve around cattle, milk and the vessels that hold them. A bowl like this belongs in that world.

Use it for keys. They will feel promoted.