Here is a remarkable walking cane full of story and natural history with a unique, eye-catching style. The handle is rib bone from an extinct mammal called the “Steller’s Sea Cow”. This species went extinct in the 1700’s, just a few decades after it was first discovered by western explorers venturing into the northern most reaches of North America. It was the largest member of the dugong family of species which includes the manatee. The Steller’s Sea Cow had likely been on decline since the last ice age and few remained. The Inuit people of Alaska had been hunting and co-existing with this species for thousands of years, and it was during excavations of ancient Inuit hunting grounds on St. Lawrence Island that this rib bone and others was excavated. Its thousands of years old and tells a unique story. Despite being ancient It’s very durable bone, the Steller’s Sea Cow was massive and had the densest bones of any marine species ever known.

The handle is decorated with 7 pieces of matching malachite stone from the Congo. Detailed and intricate, its pattern is called “flowering malachite” and it has a rich green color.

The shaft of this cane is another amazing piece, one of my personal favorite woods to work with. Its ancient kauri wood from New Zealand. Ancient Kauri is the oldest workable wood in the world at approximately 50,000 years old! The Kauri tress themselves were absolutely massive rainforest giants when they fell during the last ice age. Changing climates effected the norther part of New Zealand and it transformed from forest into peat fields. The peat moss covered the giant trees and preserved them almost perfectly until today.

A perfectly functional piece, museum worthy too. Its weight is average. Total length measures 38” and can be shortened to fit. It is currently fitted with a brass ferrule tip and low profile rubber at 38”.

The last picture is of ancient Kauri tree excavation.

M A T E R I A L S

Handle – Steller’s Sea Cow Bone from Alaska

Shaft – Ancient Kauri Wood from New Zealand

Divider - Brass and Malachite

Lapidary - Malachite from the Congo

Rubber tip

Every Gillis Cane is a photographed original, you’ll always receive the exact cane in the images.