Ebony walking stick with disc shaped top, tourist art.
It is useable, but this walking stick was likely made specifically to sell to tourists as an ebony wood souvenir. In Africa, ebony wood has traditionally been used in building as it is resistant to termites and other insects. Nowadays, many local wood turners and carvers make their living selling souvenits to tourists. The majority of African ebony is sold to Europe to be made into musical instruments. African ebony is considered the best quality ebony in the world, as the high altitudes and climate result in slower growth rates which produce a more dense wood . Older trees also produce darker wood, which is more sought after. Ebony trees are at risk of becoming endangered because of the high demand for wood - there are only a few pockets of ebony forests left in Kenya.
