The SANKOFA

for PAUL - LIZ

Box #11 - April to August 2008

KIAAT, PAU MARFIM, PINK IVORY, AFRICAN BLACKWOOD,

PURPLE HEART, AFRICAN PADUAK

Eddie & Trish6th September 2008

The Sankofa is a mythic bird of the Western African Akan people that flies

forward while with its beak reaches back to retrieve the lost egg that is

symbolic of its young and the survival of the future. The Sankofa Bird

represents the African adage “Se wo were fi na wosan kofa a yenki” which

in Akan means “Always remember the past for therein lies the future”

Adinkra

From Wikipedia

Adinkra are visual symbols, originally created by the Akan of Ghana and the Gyaman of Cote d'Ivoire

in West Africa, that represent concepts. Adinkra are used on fabric, walls, in pottery, woodcarvings

and logos. Fabric adinkra are often made by woodcut sign writing as well as screen printing. They

also can be used to communicate evocative messages that represent parts of their life or those

around them.

ADINKRA SYMBOLS OF THE AKAN

BUBINGA

PANGA PANGA

AFR.

BLACKWOOD

PURPLE

HEART

AFR.

PADUAK

AFR.

PADUAK

Afr. Paduak

KIAAT

PAU

MARFIM

African BlackwoodGrenadillo Dalbergia melanoxylon

Family: Leguminosae

Other Names: Congowood, Mozambique ebony, Senegal

ebony, Cape Damson ebony.

Distribution: This African tree has an extensive range on the

continent. It can be found in the savanna regions of the Sudan

southward to Mozambique, then westward to Angola and

northward to Nigeria and Senegal.

The Timber: the heartwood is dark purplish black or brown

with black streaks which usually predominate so that the

general effect is nearly black. The luster is dull and odor and

taste are not distinct. It is very hard and heavy wood with a

weight of 82 lb/ft 3 (1,314 kg/m 3 ). The grain is mostly straight

with a fine texture. It has a slightly

oily nature. The narrow sapwood is white and very clearly

defined.

Working Qualities: This wood has exceptionally good working

qualities. It cuts very smooth and evenly, taking an excellent

finish directly form the tool of the drill or lathe. It can be tapped

for screw threads almost like metal. It is considered to be the

best wood available for ornamental turnery.

Uses: A chief use is for woodwind instruments such as flutes,

clarinets, bag pipes, etc... It is superior to ebony for this

purpose because of its oily nature and resistance to climactic

changes. The wood is also used for turnery in making such

items as brush backs. Knife handles, chessmen and pool cues.

Pink IvoryBerchemia zeyheri

Family: Rhamnaceae (buckthorn)

Other Names: Red Ivorywood, Umnini, Umgoloti.

Distribution: Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa

and scattering in other parts of southern Africa.

The Tree: This is a deciduous tree with a spreading crown

and varies in height from under 20 ft (6.1m0 to over 50 ft

(15.2m). The boles are usually 7-9 in. (178-229mm) in

quarter girth. The flowers are small and greenish-yellow in

color. The fruits are small black berries, very similar in

appearance to those of the buckthorns.

The Timber: The wood is uniformly bright pink or pale red.

The luster is low, and odor and taste are not distinct. It is

hard and heavy; when air-dried the weight is 62 lb/ft3 (993

kg/m3). The grain is straight to irregular, while the texture is

very fine. The sapwood is almost white, and the pink

heartwood, after long exposure, tends to become orange-

colored or orange-brown.

Pau Marfim / Guatambu (Balfourodendron riedelianum)

Color: Cream to lemon yellow.

The Tree: With a maximum height of about 80 feet and

diameters up to 30", the tree is not large. It produces a well

formed bole up to 30 feet.

The Wood: The wood is usually compared with Hard Maple.

Generally straight grain, dense with fine, uniform texture.

Can be worked without much difficulty. Excellent turning

wood. Very strong with excellent wear properties.

Typical Uses: Furniture, cabinets, flooring, tool handles.

Source Region: Southern Brazil, Paraguay.

Pau marfim goes by a number of trade names around the

world. In Argentina it is called guatambu moroti; in Brazil,

pau liso, farinha seca, and quatamba. In Peru it is known as

quillo bordon; in Columbia it is yomo de huero; while

ivorywood is one of its names in the United States and other

English-speaking nations.

Padauk (or padouk or paduak)

Family: Pterocarpus soyauxii

Other Names: African Paduak, Mbe, Mbil, Mututi, Ngula,

Bosulu

All padauks are of African or Asian origin. Padauks are

valued for their toughness, stability in use, and

decorativeness, most having a reddish wood. Most

Pterocarpus woods contain either water- or alcohol-soluble

substances and can be used as dyes.

The padauk found most often in the timber trade is African

Padauk from Pterocarpus soyauxii which, when freshly cut,

is a very bright red but when exposed to sunlight fades over

time to a warm brown. Its colour makes it a favourite among

woodworkers. Burmese Padauk is Pterocarpus

macrocarpus while Andaman Padauk is Pterocarpus

dalbergioides. Padauks can be confused with rosewoods to

which they are somewhat related, but as a general rule

padauks are coarser and less decorative in figure.

Some African padauks are used as herbal medicines to

treat skin parasites and fungal infections. This particular

timber was called "barwood", most likely a species closely

connected to Pterocarpus soyauxii.

Pau Marfim

Afr. BlackWood

Purple Heart

Pink Ivory

Afr. Paduak

KIAAT

Family: Pterocarpus angolensis

Other Names: bloodwood, paddle-wood, sealing-wax tree, wild teak, Transvaal teak (Eng.); kiaat, bloedhout,

dolfhout, greinhout, kajatenhout, lakhout, wilde-kiaat (Afr.); morôtô (North Sotho); mokwa, morotômadi (Tswana);

umvangazi, umbilo (Zulu)

The name Kiaat is Afrikaans, the kiaat is a deciduous, spreading and slightly flat-crowned tree with a high canopy. It

reaches about 15 metres in height and has dark bark. The shiny leaves are compound (divided into leaflets) and

characteristically hang downwards. An abundance of scented, orange-yellow flowers appear in spring. These are

carried in sprays. The flowering time is rather short, two to three weeks only.

Distribution:

The kiaat grows in the warm, frost free areas in the northeast of the country, extending into Zimbabwe, northern

Botswana, Mozambique and Namibia and northwards into other parts of Africa. It grows in bushveld and woodland

where the rainfall is above 500 mm per year and it favours rocky slopes or well-drained, deep, sandy soil.

There are roughly 30 species in the genus and these may be found in the more tropical regions of the world. Four

species occur in southern Africa. The specific name, angolensis means "of Angola".

The brilliant dramatically red sap found in Pterocarpus gives it the common name of "bloodwood". The wood

apparently bears some resemblance to the unrelated true teak from tropical east Asia (Tectona grandis) hence the

common name "wild teak".

The colour of the sapwood is a result of the remarkable, dark red sap of the plant; an alternative name of

Bloodwood rises from this. This wood also produces a rich, resonant sound and can be made into many different

musical instruments.

It is valued for several medicinal uses. It has been recorded to treat ringworm, eye problems, black water fever,

stabbing pains, malaria, and to increase the supply of breast milk. The resemblance of the sap to blood has led to

the belief in supposed magical healing powers concerning the blood. Because of all these reasons and that it is also

fire resistant the kiaat is sometimes planted around the chief's enclosure to make a living fence.

PurpleHeart

Family:

Other Names: Purpleheart, amaranth, violet wood, sucupira, palo morado, bois violet,

morado, nazareno, tananeo, koroboreli, purperheart, amarante, pau roxo, guarbu, saka,

sakavalli.

Purpleheart’s color change is remarkable to behold, says Greg Engle, sales manager for

Certainly Wood of East Aurora, NY. “When you first see it, it’s almost a mousy gray-brown

color, but when it’s cut, it turns a brilliant purple. It will ‘mature’ and age to a deeper, crimson

color.” Engle cautions users to protect it from ultraviolet rays because the wood is

photosensitive. Purpleheart has consistently been a popular item with veneering. Users

typically make fine custom furniture with the purpleheart veneer or use it in marquetry.

Purpleheart is a popular wood in both veneer and lumber. I guess it is the color and pleasing

luster of the wood that attracts attention. It is not used on the scale of a mahogany, but it

always generates interest. Many trees change color once they are cut but the tropical

American tree called purpleheart is especially famous for its chameleon-like quality.

Purpleheart’s heartwood is dull brown but when the wood is freshly cut and exposed to the air,

it changes to a strikingly deep purple.