The term “ebony” refers to a dense black wood that comes from various species of trees in the flowering plant genus Diospyros. When used to describe a person’s skin color or racial identity, saying someone has “ebony skin” or is “ebony” implies they have very dark brown or black skin. So in racial contexts, ebony is often used as a poetic or symbolic way to refer to blackness. The use of “ebony” to describe dark skin likely comes from the deep black color of the wood.
Origins of the Word Ebony
The word “ebony” has its origins in the Ancient Egyptian word “hebeny” which referred to a tree species that produced the dark wood. This was imported to Egypt from tropical Africa during Ancient Egyptian times. The Greeks later adopted this term as “ebenos” to refer to the wood and trees. In Latin it became “ebenum” and then “ebony” in Middle English.
So the use of ebony to refer to a deep black color is derived from the dark heartwood produced by ebony trees that was valued since antiquity. The connection between dark skin and ebony wood likely began because of their similar black coloring.
Ebony Trees
Ebony wood comes from several species of trees in the genus Diospyros, which is part of the Ebenaceae family. Most ebony trees are native to tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and India. The most prized ebony has traditionally come from Diospyros crassiflora and Diospyros ebenum tree species in Sri Lanka and India.
These slow-growing trees produce an extremely dense black heartwood, while the sapwood is lighter and yellowish in color. Only the dark heartwood of the ebony tree is valued as ebony wood. It takes ebony trees many years to produce mature heartwood, which adds to its value and desirability as a luxury material.
Properties of Ebony Wood
Ebony wood is highly prized for its smooth, glossy black color and extreme density. Freshly cut ebony wood has a black interior that polishes to a lustrous finish. When dried, ebony wood becomes very hard and dense, making it difficult to work with. The high natural oil content helps produce its smooth finish when polished.
These properties make ebony wood ideal for musical instruments, fine furniture, sculpture, and other decorative luxury objects. The density provides strength, hardness, and resonance for musical instruments like pianos and guitars. Ebony’s smooth finish and black color also make it visually striking for decorative uses.
Due to its rarity and difficulty to harvest, ebony wood is very expensive. True ebony wood comes only from the heartwood of slow-growing Diospyros trees, mainly found in southern India and Sri Lanka. This makes harvesting and exporting ebony wood rare and costly.
Ebony as a Symbol of Blackness
Because of its deep black color, ebony wood has beenassociated with blackness and darkness since ancient times. Ancient Egyptians valued ebony for its blackness as a symbol of regeneration, death, and the afterlife. In Ancient Rome, ebony was also connected to the underworld because of its black color.
In more modern times, ebony wood represented refinement and elegance because of its association with piano keys and luxury furniture. But the blackness of ebony also made it a racially symbolic wood associated with people of African descent. Calling dark-skinned people “ebony” or saying they have “ebony skin” draws this symbolic connection.
Ebony in Racial Description
In racial contexts, ebony has frequently been used as an adjective and symbol for blackness when describing dark skin and people of African descent. Published examples of ebony used to describe black people date back to at least the 1760s. An 1768 poem described an African as having “sable arms and ebon skin.”
By the 1800s, ebony was frequently used in literature and poetry when describing black characters or slaves. African slaves were referred to as “ebony slaves” or having “glossy ebony skin.” A 19th century book described African indigenous religions as “ebony witchcraft.”
While sometimes intended as an elegant, elevated description, this flowery use of ebony also often exoticized and objectified people with black skin. Calling people ebony denied them complex humanity by reducing them to wood.
Ebony in Modern Usage
Today calling black people ebony is generally seen as antiquated and inappropriate, though it occasionally appears in some works attempting a picturesque or classical tone. More commonly, ebony is now used in commercial contexts like fashion, beauty, and home decor to imply blackness.
The word ebony remains most appropriate when referring to the actual wood itself. Calling human beings ebony is unsuitable because it linguistically equates people with objects. However, ebony endures as artistic or symbolic shorthand Referring to someone as ebony can also exoticize their blackness rather than simply acknowledge their skin tone or heritage.
Conclusion
The term ebony originated from a type of dense black wood to symbolically represent blackness. While sometimes used positively, ebony has also been associated with exoticizing objectification of black people and their skin tone. Today it remains most accurate when referring to ebony wood itself, not human beings. More appropriate modern language recognizes diverse black experiences beyond skin color. So while ebony wood maintains its cultural cachet, ebony should be used carefully when describing people themselves.
