African Art

Ebony wood is an exceptionally hard and beautiful wood found only in the Sahara desert regions of Africa. Its exceptional density not only makes it very heavy, but also gives it an incomparable sheen when polished. Because of the high value and heaviness of this wood, only the master carvers of Africa are able to use it for their craft. They use simple hand tools to produce the works of art sold at NewAfricanAmericanStore.com. In ancient days, the royalty of Persia and India would travel to West Africa to find ebony to use for scepters, sculptures and drinking chalices. Even now ebony is considered the most valued and treasured wood to be found. Ebony normally is brown on the outside of the tree; and black on the inside. The carvings often come as a beautiful mixture of black and brown; as well as the pure blackwood that is most well known. Each has its own special beauty. Like any wood, ebony is subject to drying and cracking: especially in dry climates. Your wood pieces should be cared for with occasional polishing with shoe polish or other moisturizing agents.  Click here to find other Black Art and African Décor.

There’s nothing quite as impressive as an elephant in the wild. If you’ve seen one at the zoo, you can begin to gauge its tremendous weight and size, but there’s still nothing to rival the feeling of seeing one without the benefit of any barriers or bars. Like any wild animal, it can act in unpredictable and unforeseen ways, but it’s particularly scary with the elephant because of its sheer size. Many guided African safaris offer this opportunity, and it shouldn’t be missed.

Even if the experience is somewhat intimidating or scary, it’s well worth it. And you’ll quickly find that elephants on the whole are sweet, loving, and surprisingly gentle creatures. That doesn’t mean, however, you should be careless or casual around them. But if you do decide to partake in any of these guided safaris, don’t forget to purchase commemorative elephant figurines. The experience is a once in a lifetime endeavor, and you can be reminded of that every time you see the figurine in your home.