Hand carved olive wood and batik bone salad serving set from Kenya measuring approximately 12" long. Carving is a tradition in Kenya with the children learning the craft from their parents. Carved by hand using only rudimentary hand tools, olive wood salad serving sets take shape from pieces of olive wood, mahogany, and mpingo, or "African Ebony". This cooperative also works with the artisans to educate them on the need for reforestation, protecting not only the forests for years to come, but their livelihood as well. In addition to the wood carvers in the Machakos area, these salad servers employ a second group of artisans who carve discarded animal bone for the handles. The bone is "batiked" by first drawing a design onto the white bone using melted wax, then dipping the bone into a dark brown/black dye, resulting in patterns African mud cloth designs.