IVORY TRADING

Waipa Post, Volume 32, Issue 1779, 6 July 1926, Page 6

IVORY TRADING

IX THE BELGIAN CONGO

The lure of ivory has since ages past attracted many hunters and adventurers, some for the sport of the hunting, and others the desire for good ivory and its value in money (writes Mr K. E. McDougal in the Johannesburg Sunday Times). There are seasoned hunters who have spent the greater part of their lives in the field and hunted the big bull elephant in his forest haunts, then the occasional hunter who, if he has the means, can experience the thrills and delights of this great op onair sport. Then the native hunter with his primitive weapons, who traps, spars, shoots, and by other means kills the big pachyderm for the wealth that he carries in his gleaming ivory.

(Finally, there is the Arab trader, who in search of ivory has wandered far afield from his native land. I do not propose to write about the hun-ers of elephants, but since- the native ivory getter has always played a prominent part in the ivory trade, I will mention him again in this article.

Perhaps the man who has been the longest associated with this trade, is the Arab; certainly in the Belgian Congo he appears to have the monopoly of ivory dealing with the exception of a few scattered European traders.

The Arab seems to have an inherent instinct to “ smell oist ” tusks, a discerning eye in selecting and grading ivory ; and once he has located tusks he will find some means of tracking for andi ultimately acquiring them. Most probably the secret of the Arab success is his fondness and aptitude for barter, the only method of dealing which appeals to the average African native. He is always friendly to the latter, and the present of baksheesh and a musket now and again to a native ensures good feeling and stimulates trade. (During my travels in the 'Congo I have encountered many small ‘ dukkas” (shops) run by Arab merchants, and in most of these I have found Stores of ivory. " On occasions I have noticed a decidedly depleted stoqk of trade goods and from observation ‘I subsequently noticed that this lack of merchandise in most cases denoted that the ivory store was well filled and new supplies of goods expected. In other words, “ sold out.” In his with the native hunters the Arab requires a certain amount of tact and patience, and, if need be, he must settle disputes between part-owners of tusks brought in for sale. As is often the case, a tusk will be owned in shares by-four or five natives, and each claimant ha s a fairly good idfea of what he is entitled to, and, the Arab has to satisfy the bunch of natives.

Here, again, our trader is in a class of his own, for the white men who can satisfactorily settle with a number of native owners of a single article are few and far between, but the Arab has the flair to make a successful business deal to the satisfaction of all concerned.

The. profits of this trade are generous, and, moreover, they are twofold the Arab 'buys ivory on which he makes a direct profit, and on the goods that he gives in barter he reaps b is share of gain; and, since he. seldom increases his price with the rise in market values, his purchase is a sound investment with large returns.

In the Congo it is apparently the policy to allow natives to hunt elephants indiscriminately from the point of view of ancient'rights; consequently ivory is plentiful, trade is brisk, and the destruction of elephants excessive in comparison with other territories. The native hunters in that teiritoiy hunt their elephants in bands to thirty spearmen. The weapons used are heavy throwing spear s weighted at the butts, and they are assisted, by dogs of a nondescript breed; the latter are useful to distract the attention of an elephant while the spears are thrown. In spite of their crude weapons the natives are successful in killing, and, since ivory is primarily 'the object, they cannot be said to be wanting in keenness.

The requirements of the native.are simple, and the Arab traders cater principally for him. Wives are, of course, a first consideration; and they mu,st be bought. To obtain a wife a native must pay a dowry to the father, varying in value among the different tribes. The means of purchase are by the trading of goods and live, stock, and these are provided by the Arab trader. Let us look through a typical Arab shop. As I enter lam greeted, with a courteous “Salaam! Karibu (enter), and proffered a seat; later a cup of sticky sweet black coffee is forthcoming. I glance over his shelves and view his 's'tock-in-trade, which consists of American cotton cloth, beads, iron, and brass wire, salt, etc, and a jumble of gaily-coloured garments called “khangas,” worn by most native women in these parts. 'Still, he does not appear to carry much value in his merchandise, and I ask him ho'w trade is, to which he replies, “ Only a little.”

After a short conversation I ask to see his ivory. “Certainly! Enter,” to his store. Here, laid along in rows, are all sizes ar\d shapes of ivory; my eye is attracted by a single magnificent specimen, which I estimate to weigh 90 lbs. On inquiry I am told it is 99 lbs. This tusk is worth probably over £IOO. I wonder’exactly how much it cost my bearded, friend. “Why/ is there only one tusk?” He replies that he purchased the single tusk on his last trading trip into the mountains, and that he knows where the other one is, making the pair, which will be brought down for sale later. Meanwhile his shop is almost empty, and he awaits the lake steamer that will bring .him fresh supplies of goods and take away his present consign-, ment of ivory.

He chafes inwardly at the delay that means lost trade and gain to .the opposite istore.

Large quantities of ivory are obtained by these merchants, and practically every Arab store buys ivory; profits are excessive, but the native is satisfied, and the Arab carries on in his unpretentious “dukka ” while the demand for ivory increases. The yearly turnover of one of these small shops is considerable, and, while the demand for ivory exists and supplies of tusks are. adequate, the trade will'flourish. , Ivory is subject' to disease just as human teeth are liable to decay, and an experts knowledge is necessary to classify different qualities.

Frequently’tusks which appear to be sound reveal on closer inspection of the hollows a spotted appearance; in other cases the tips are decayed. This naturally reduces the value of the ivory.

Cow ivory, being the softest and the finest grain, is valued at a high figure per lb, and it is used for special purposes. It is scarcer, since cow elephants are not often hunted, and the tusks rarely exceed 20 lbs to 25 'lbs each.

Most of the traded ivory is shipped through Tanganyika territory to Zanzibar, where it obtains a good market and is graded. Tusks are cut up and manufactured into beautifully-carved ornaments and curios; a good proportion of the cut pieces, tips, and hollr"are exported to the East—'China and, Japan—where wonderfully artistic carving is turned out, and by the-time it reaches the collector he has to pay a fancy price.