Oba Olateru Olagbegi II, the Olowo of Owo, seated beneath carved ivory tusks, Owo, Nigeria

"The high value placed on ivory goes back to antiquity and is reflected in mythical accounts of Orunmila's preference for and association with it. Because ivory was such a precious resource, and the preferred material for denoting the status of kings, chiefs, warriors, and diviners, elephant tusks were a commodity controlled by a powerful elite. Within Owo's sphere of influence, elephant hunters retained only one tusk out of every pair of tusks and were required to present the other to the Olowo (the king of Owo)." [Abiodun R., 1989: Yoruba. Harry N. Abrams Inc. Publishers.]. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for Life magazine and traveled to Africa from August 18, 1959 to December 20, 1959.