Here is a beautiful hand-crafted Zebra from Kenya, Africa. This work of art was masterfully hand-carved from a single block of rich mahogany wood by an Akamba carver, living in southern Kenya. We have personally selected this piece for its beautiful carved lines and its realistic look. This is a very special and unique piece of artwork, not the roughly carved, mass-produced variety often seen in the open markets or the usual tourist shops. If you collect animal carvings, you will want this one! This piece depicts a Burchell or plains zebra, with its pointed ears and stripes that run down to the stomach and up into the mane. Looking over the savannas of Africa, you will often see herds of adult zebra grazing contently, while the colts run and frolic. Like horses, zebras can run quite fast and, if alerted, have both the speed and endurance to out run most predators. The herds are enchanting to watch, and are indeed one of the leading attractions which draw tourists to Kenya. In rough woodsheds and under the shade of the mango trees, Akamba wood carvers work in a craft-cooperative, surrounded with sounds of chipping and sanding, men’s voices and laughter, occasional singing and the spicy, tangy smell of exotic woods. Here the craftsmen reduce single pieces of wood into useful and beautiful pieces of folk art, using only simple hand tools of axes, various-sized knives, files and sandpaper. The Akamba people are famous all over the world for their unique wood carving skills, which are passed from generation to generation. I have met Akamba men who were 5th generation wood carvers. This zebra stands approx. 6 inches tall and 10 inches long. |