The Art of Ebony Elephants

by Ishara Mudugamuwa

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Meet one of the richest people in Bope, Galle - millionaire Regis Wekunugoda - who has been exporting elephants. Definitely not catching them from the wild or taming them to sell but one who sculptures elephants from the black wood, ebony.

This handicraft is a popular and pursued career for many in Galle whose talent can rival that of India, highly famed for its own wood carvings.

This rare timber is fashioned by master artisans known as ‘Hadakaraya’ into even miniature elephants used as keytag souvenirs. Various religious effigies like ‘Nataraja’, the Hindu deity and Lord Buddha statues are also formed from this aromatic wood that highlights beauty and grace.

More than the basic elephant shape, another one called the ‘Hada Aliya’ is also sculpted that gives the elephant a larger trunk with a broader arch.

Several stages are required in order to carve such masterpieces. The primary stage is skilfully creating the image that is in the mind of the artisan and then fine tuning its intricate details with special tools.

Thereafter, sandpapering and polishing is done to display its finer attributes making it attractive. Every stage of craftsmanship is vital in bringing out the best of the masterpiece so that it is a collector’s item when it goes on sale.

However, today there is a dearth of ebony elephant artisans because of the fact that the ebony wood is scarce and artisans have to cater to the demand of the modern-day industry, especially tourism.

They have had to make changes and innovations in their work by using red and white wood like ‘Pare Mara’, ‘Nadun’ and ‘Alastonia’ and some even colour the wood black to resemble ebony as a last resort.

There is a tremendous demand from fishmongers who use wood like ‘Pare Mara’ for their traditional fishing stilts and such timber logs are sent in many numbers to Bope and Heenpendala where they are created into religious statues.

Artisans work from dawn to dusk to make meagre earnings and even though they can give up this up for a more prosperous one, the love for this art handed down from generations remains true in their hearts. Wood artisan W. A. Sarath from Heenpendala has been involved in this field which his family undertook for generations and hopes his son will also follow suit.

“Ebony wood isn’t available these days and the direct export market isn’t flourishing because we depend on the tourist season” he said. If its off-season, their wares are not sold until the next tourist season making it difficult to make a proper living out of it.

Even today, despite the shortcomings, Galle’s youth are more involved in taking up after their fathers because with technological advancements, they have electric tools that make it easier to sculpt figures.

However, people should realise that this majestic animal in its pride and glory has been entrusted with holy rituals like the annual Peraheras for centuries in Sri Lanka’s history. Hence it is vital that we keep a momentum of appreciation for the elephant and support the ebony elephant industry.