Carved elephant tusk from the altar of a deceased Oba of Benin. The tusk is carved in registers and should be read starting from the bottom row and moving upward.
This carved tusk was presented to President John F. Kennedy at a dinner in his honor at the Mayflower Hotel, Washington, D.C. given by Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa during his state visit to the White House on July 27, 1961.
On loan to the Peabody Museum in Salem, MA from April 14, 1975 - September 23, 1989; Part of African Exhibit at JFKL May 1998; Displayed in Family Room
Credit-Line
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston, MA; Gift of the Estate of President John F. Kennedy