This stick isn't like that. It has been roughly hewn from a natural branch or stem and the marks of the maker's tools are clearly visible. The material is some sort of very hard and dense wood, probably one of the various African species loosely known as "ironwood".

A crudely-carved snake winds its way up the shank. Although the stick is carved from a single piece of wood, the snake is of a lighter colour than the rich, dark red-brown shank and knob. This indicates the wood had a light-coloured sapwood and much darker heartwood. To produce the desired result, the maker would have had to cut away a thick layer of sapwood from the whole length of the piece, leaving only the shape of the snake protruding above the heartwood. This would have taken some doing!