This item is a beautiful hand–carved sculpture of a village woman 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 This carving depicts a woman pouring corn from a winnowing basket into a “kinu” (wooden pestal) before she pickes up the stick at her feet and begins pounding the corn into flour. From this she will make a staple diet called “ugali”. Child care is normally the woman’s responsibility so that’s why you see this carving with a child tied to the woman’s back while she is at work. This is an absolute gorgeous piece. 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 beautiful sculpture is 15" tall and 6" wide. |