Africa hosts a large diversity of ethnicities, cultures and languages. Slavery had been long practiced in Africa. In the late 19th century, the European imperial powers engaged in a major territorial scramble and occupied most of the continent, creating many colonial territories, African ivories comes from elephant tusks. Each ivories has its own distinctive characteristics. Examples in West Africa for the European markets are saltcellar, Spoon and oliphants. There are original african influences in their like form of animal like snake and dogs as a crossroads between spirits and humans. There are also western influence in the ivories like christianity figures, narratives relief, spirals, form of objects, western figures.Ivories is highly valuable. It is made for higher rank people and the design is detailed and intricate. The material is very precious. The ivory is also durable because of the harsh weather conditions. But elephant is harmed during the process.The European imperialist push into Africa was motivated by three main factors, economic, political, and social. It developed in the nineteenth century following the collapse of the profitability of the slave trade, its abolition and suppression, as well as the expansion of the European capitalist Industrial Revolution.The primary motivation for European intrusion was economic.
