Out of Africa - We've all seen the movie or atleast heard of Tarzan and Jane - But how do you know what you're getting, what it's made of and if it's a fairly made product.  I hope this guide helps you understand how to better add to your collection and how to help the developing countries of Eastern Africa break their cycles of poverty - even if it is one piece at a time. 

My family spent a lot of time over the last few generations trading in the African "Curio" business - or what is known Out of Africa as "Carvings".  In Canada and the US, I see these Carvings and Sculptures sell for tens and hundreds of dollars, and am often amazed at the poor quality and wood used in them and having last year spent several days with sculptors and carvers learning their trade, and bringing over many of their wares, I wanted to share some of my knowledge with you.

WOOD:
Most Carvings made in Kenya and Tanzania are made from Mehrubani - this wood, does not translate into an english tree, but is known for it's healing properties and is thought to cure or heal 40 different illnesses.  The leaves from it are dried and mixed with water and then drank.  It's quite gross but used for things like blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, etc.  Having a sculpted wood piece from this wood is considered a good omen.  Mehrubani is often stained red, yellow, painted and spotted to show the colors of Zebras, Cheetahs, and Giraffes.  It's light, durable and transports well.  Many of our carvings are made from this lovely and versatile wood.  Mehrubani is used in sustainable farming, is inexpensive for the carvers to procure and

Many Carvings are made from Ebony.  Ebony is a dense and hard wood and carvings from this wood are particularly heavy and black.  Ebony is less grainy and much smoother.  Ebony has a lot of historical influence and can be found anywhere from Egyptian jewelery to musical instruments.  Most often in African carvings, you will see these in Rhinoceri, Panthers and Elephants.

Teak  is rare in East Africa, and with any other wood we are able to procure and our carvers then to try, they delight in molding it to new shapes and animals. 

CARVERS:
The Carvers and Sculptors we are working with are local Kenyan and Tanzanian carvers who work in small groups and spend their days learning from master carvers.  These individuals spend years perfecting their crafts.  Some of them are multi-generational carvers and begin carving as young as age 3.  These are individuals from the Masaii and Kikuyu tribes.  It's really important to me, that they are paid fairly, so when we were down there negotiating, we were specifically ensuring there were no middlemen and that the money was given to the carvers directly, at fair labor prices. When you are buying your precious piece, please take into consideration the impact of poaching, child labor, and international labor practices - to ensure we are helping build a better world

ANIMALS:
The carvers can make just about anything as long as they have seen it with their own eyes.  Wildebeast, Elephants, Rhinocerous, Hippopotamous, Lions, Cheetahs, Panthers, Giraffes, Zebras, Crocodiles, Ostriches, and Turtles are not uncommon, nor are jewelry made from Camel bone.  Keychains are made from wood as well as camel bone and animals that need tusks or other accents are normally accented with camel bone (instead of ivory). - This gives them a really nice and "alive" feeling - even though they are not.

Hope this helps! Happy Adding to your collection!