GEOGRAPHY / CULTURE GROUP: West Africa. Detailed ivory tusk carvings are some of the finest sculptures produced in West Africa. However, due to the demise of elephants in the region and international regulations limiting the sell and transport of ivory across borders the numbers of current day ivory carvings have greatly reduced. The original ivory carvers in West Africa are believed to be the Sapi and Mani people who lived along the coast. Trained African carvers were commissioned by European explorers and traders to create Ivory carvings and household objects that appealed to European tastes. Only a few hundred elephants remain in West Africa because of the less conducive environment and because elephants were hunted as food in West Africa. Hence, current day ivory carvings are very rare.
