Elaborate combs, also made of ivory, secured and decorated hairstyles. Ivory was a choice material for parts on musical instruments because it was attractive, durable, and easy to shape.
This flute made of ivory cost more than wooden versions. Miniature portraits on ivory were luxuries from the late s until the introduction of photography around Throughout this period, white skin symbolized power—and the surface qualities of ivory captured that shade without paint.
Those are the long upper incisors of elephants that grow deep within their skulls. Skip to main content. Search this exhibition. Ivory: Expensive Luxury. The Air Force did not follow through on its moon proposal, but the United States and the Soviet Union both detonated nuclear weapons a couple hundred miles above Earth between then and As animal fiber makes its way through the digestive tract, microbes partially ferment it.
By the s, there was a trend toward the current party-color connection. The election is credited as the one that truly solidified it. Anna Diamond is the former assistant editor for Smithsonian magazine.
In Africa, ivory has been a status symbol because it comes from elephants, a highly respected animal, and because it is fairly easy to carve into works of art. African elephants are the largest land mammals in the world and can be found in 37 countries across the African continent. There are two subspecies: African savannah elephants which are found in eastern and southern African nations such as Botswana, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe and African forest elephants, which are more prevalent in the dense rainforests of the central and western part of the continent.
Both male and female African elephants have tusks, while, comparatively, only some male Asian elephants have tusks. Elephants use their tusks for maneuvering, fighting, and foraging, including digging for roots and stripping bark from trees.
In addition to tusks, elephants also have molar teeth for tearing and chewing food. Tusks and teeth are composed of the same materials—mainly mineralized tissue known as dentine and cementum. Teeth, however, are usually covered with a hard layer of enamel, while enamel on tusks is found only at the tips, if at all.
At the base or root end of the tusk is the pulp cavity, a cone-shaped void filled with soft tissue that extends about one-third of the way into the interior of the tusk. Dentine layers are produced annually, similar to the growth of tree rings. African elephant tusks can be up to 10 feet long three meters and weigh up to pounds 90 kilograms , although most tusks of elephants living today are smaller. In much the same way that humans are right- or left-handed, elephants can be either right- or left-tusked, and their dominant tusk is usually smaller from wear.
Elephant ivory has been considered a valued luxury material across cultures and continents for millennia. Ivory artifacts have been found on archaeological sites in Africa, Asia, and Europe, providing evidence of widespread trading.
Prized for its beauty and usefulness, ivory is durable, relatively easy to carve in fine detail, and has a smooth, lustrous appearance. In comparison to teeth or tusks from other animals, elephant ivory has been favored because of its large size and homogenous appearance.
Ivory can be sawed, carved, engraved, turned on a lathe, and polished to a high shine. It can also be bleached, stained with dyes and colorants, or painted. It is important to note that this historical use of ivory in Africa was limited, generally reserved for individuals of high status and did not put elephant populations at risk. These animals were seen as powerful and dangerous, and owning ivory was a status marker.
Ivory topped staffs, such as those made by Kongo and Attie carvers, were carried as symbols of authority and wealth. Before the widespread use of guns and electric carving tools, elephant hunting and ivory carving were specialized occupations. Within the Benin kingdom, elephant hunting and the distribution of its meat were regulated by the oba king. For every elephant killed, one tusk belonged to the king and one could be sold. Ivory was traded widely from the 15th through the 19th centuries and was prized as a luxury item not only in Africa but throughout Europe and other parts of the world.
Ivory carvings were also commissioned by foreign kings. The carved hunting horn made in the late 15th century by a Bullom or Temne artist was given as a gift by Prince Manuel of Portugal to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. With increased trade, carvers not only made items for local use but also made souvenirs for sale to foreigners. Ivory was also exported as a raw material, and became popular for mass-produced objects such as piano keys, billiard balls, knife handles, jewelry, and other novelties.
Beginning in the 20th century, the quality and applications of plastics replaced many of the utilitarian functions of ivory. However, the international demand for ivory has continued to increase. Today, elephants are hunted at rates higher than in which they can naturally reproduce.
The contemporary demand for ivory has been compared to that of diamonds, in that they are both natural materials with little inherent value but their culturally constructed value, as a status symbol, is high. Similarly, the demand for both materials in wealthy parts of the world causes violence and destruction in the areas where these natural materials are found. Currently the country with the highest demand for ivory is China, followed by Japan, Thailand, and the United States.
The goals of recently publicized ivory crush-and-burn events, aside from removing ivory from the market, are to reverse the idea of ivory as a status symbol and shrink its market value, in an effort to decrease demand and illegal hunting.
With increased human populations and activities such as land development, infrastructure construction, logging, and mining, elephants are losing their habitats and facing declining populations. The greatest threat, by far to elephants today however, is poaching illegal killing , spurred by the global demand for ivory.
Unlike deer that shed and regrow their antlers yearly, elephants do not shed their tusks; they must be killed or severely injured to harvest their ivory. Poachers and sellers are part of an illegal, underground black market that is connected with other types of illegal activity, such as terrorist groups. Ivory consumption also has a human cost. While rangers have the challenging job of protecting animals, they also face personal risk and may be estranged from their communities for carrying out their duties.
Conversely, individuals may turn to poaching as a means of supporting their families and, if arrested or killed in the process, may leave their families without a provider. African elephants are particularly susceptible to poaching because local authorities face challenges in oversight and protection due to limited government resources and difficulties in accessing their habitats.
African elephants are likely to become endangered and face a high risk of extinction in the future. The World Wildlife Fund estimates there are approximately , African elephants in the wild today, compared to three to five million during the 19th century.
During the s African elephant populations decreased by almost 50 percent. Since monitoring began approximately 30 years ago, has been the worst year on record, with the largest amount of illegal ivory confiscated worldwide. It has been estimated that 35, elephants are illegally killed each year for their ivory. Asian elephants are still threatened by poaching but not all Asian elephants have tusks. Regulations differ depending on the source of the ivory, whether from African or Asian elephants.
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