THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 



tender, in a part of the river inacces- 

 sible to crocodiles. 



The largest tusks were always 

 proudly carried home by the successful 

 hunters and often exhibited in the vil- 

 lages as a matter of rivalry. Stanley, 

 in recounting his famous trip down the 

 Congo in 1877, mentions "a temple of 

 tusks" seen at Basoko, and states that 

 ivory was "as abundant as fuel." He 

 records the finding of ivory horns, pes- 

 tles, and mallets, and we know that 

 much of the ivory first exported con- 

 sisted of such roughly carved native 

 implements. 



Africa, so long the dark continent, 

 for six thousand years has furnished 

 raw ivory and, in the last few centuries, 

 by far the greater amount of the world's 

 supply. 1 Elephants formerly swarmed 

 there; but, victims of the trader's 

 greed, they disappeared as steadily from 

 all sections as access was rendered more 

 easy. The Ivory Coast (Guinea) and 

 South Africa, once famous for the ex- 

 port of tusks, constitute the most strik- 

 ing examples of regions from which the 

 elephant has virtually been extermi- 

 nated in recent times. 



^ Asia's contribution of ivory has been compara- 

 tively small, for the tusks of Indian elephants, 

 never as large as African, are often absent in the 

 female ; the supply of prehistoric ivory from mam- 

 moths has become available only recently although 

 used for many years in China." The records of a 

 single tusk of the African elephant are : in weight, 

 236 lbs. (British Museum), in length, 11 ft. 5 in. 

 (New York Zoological Society, National Collection 

 of Horns) ; whereas for the Indian elephant the 

 record weight is 109 lbs., and the length, 8.9 feet. 



No other substance used in art was 

 procured at such exorbitant cost, and 

 yet it served for the admiration of only 

 the few. The gradual destruction of a 

 kingly beast would have meant little in 

 comparison with the desolation and dis- 

 tress loosed upon poor natives who hap- 

 pened to own tusks or lived where ele- 

 phants were abundant. Ivory trade for 

 a long period was identified with slave 

 raids of Arabs, dervishes, and other 

 irresponsibles.- The tusks were liter- 

 ally borne to the coast upon a stream of 

 human blood, caravans of mistreated 

 humanity. Those ransomed by rela- 

 tives before they were impressed into 

 such dreadful porterage were lucky in- 

 deed; in general, a large tusk bought 

 freedom for the unfortunate captive 

 who otherwise would have become a 

 slave. Now the ivory trade is every- 

 where under governmental control and 

 follows established commercial prin- 

 ciples. Though money was seldom used 

 in the northeastern part of the Belgian 

 Congo before its introduction in 1911, 

 Greeks and Hindus bought ivory, prin- 

 cipally in exchange for mules and don- 

 keys. Chiefs, arrayed in old, gold- 

 braided uniforms and looking for a 

 steed, were eager customers. Cheap 

 guns and powder also were acceptable, 

 and contraband whiskey has always 

 proved the most lucrative merchandise. 



- Herbert Ward, A Voice from the Congo, 

 Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1910. 





Among the tribes far to the interior of Africa, such as the Mangbetu, wars are waged only on land, 

 but if enemy boats accidentally meet in mid-river, as pictured here, the occupants make no attempt to 

 throw spears. They try to capture one another instead. The dugouts are dragged to land, and war- 

 riors (shown at either end) decide the issue. 



Th only canoes used are hollowed from a huge tree trunk, and it takes experienced natives from 

 two to six weeks, according to the size of canoe desired, to chisel one out with ax and adz. A few 

 tribes also char the inside to render the process of hollowing easier 



