This item is a beautiful hand–carved sculpture of a village family from Kenya, East Africa. There are many traditions in Africa that are passed down from generation to generation. One tradition that has been constant in Africa for many generations is that it is the woman’s responsibility to prepare the families food. Part of food preparation means going into the river and getting water that will be used to cook the food. This carving depicts a pregnant woman, carrying a jug of water on her head as she returns home. On her side is a young child that has gone with her to the river. This is an absolute gorgeous piece. A unique feature to this piece is that the carver even engraved his name on the bottom. The craftsman created this beautiful piece of folk art, using only simple hand tools of small axes, various-sized knives, files and sandpaper. We have personally selected this piece for its beautiful carved lines, realistically portrayed. The carving was done by one of the world-famous masters of wood: the Makonde Tribe of southern Tanzania, using only simple hand tools of axes, various-sized knives and sandpaper. The Makonde craftsman carved this figure from a single piece of teak wood, which is an exceptionally hard and richly dark wood found in the borderland strip along the tropical areas in certain sections of Central Africa. Teak’s exceptional density makes it both heavy and beautiful in its brown, glossy sheen when polished. This item is 17" tall and 4" wide. |