The Baobab Tree

CREE's symbol takes its inspiration from the shape of the baobab tree

The baobabs, totaling about a dozen species, are native to the hot dry savannas in Africa, Madagascar and northern Australia. The name baobab is taken from the Swahili language where it is also called the Mbuyu tree. The baobab tree has an enormous trunk with tapering branches and can attain a maximum height of 75 feet and maximum diameter of 60 feet around the trunk. It is also one of the longest lived trees in the world; radio-carbon dating has measured ages of over 2,000 years. Throughout its range, the baobab is used for food. The pulp of the fruit, seeds and leaves are all utilized as essentially wild-gathered foods. Such foods play a significant role in preparation of traditional dishes and as sources of food during times of scarcity and famine.

The baobab tree serves as a meeting place for many villages to discuss community matters, relate the news of the day, or tell stories. It is also considered to be an object of veneration by some of the people who call the African savannahs home. Baobabs are a protected tree in South Africa and it is said to be one of the "World Trees", or "Tree of Life" by many of the cultures on the African continent. In West Africa, especially in Senegal and in Zimbabwe, such spaces have been used as tombs. In fact, the baobab is one of the only trees in Africa to be preserved as repositories for the ancestors. It can therefore have spiritual power over the community's welfare. In Nigeria, certain baobabs are centers of worship involving fertility spirits and the Yoruba of south Nigeria often include the name for baobab (Ose) in their village name.

One particular way the baobab tree has been used as a religious object is as a burial chamber. In some parts of Africa, the bodies of certain important individuals are placed in a hollowed-out trunk of the baobab tree to symbolize the communion between the vital forces of the plant Gods and the body of the departed. Perhaps its oldest link to people and their culture is that nomads in dry areas used the hollowed trunks to make into water reservoirs. These have been recorded as holding at least 200 gallons of fresh water, with upwards capacity of 4,000 gallons in some cases. Moreover, the water remains sweet for years if kept well closed. These reservoirs can be hollowed out in a few days.

Sources:

http://arted.osu.edu/kplayground/baobabtree.htm
http://www.baobab.kansaspalms.com/