黑木实际上是非洲几种名贵木材的统称，拉丁名称东非黑黄檀Dalbergia melanoxylon，英语称黑檀木（blackwood），一般称为乌班木（ebony）等，有的称为乌木，也有的称红木。除了比较稀有贵重,重要的是黑木本身具有非常优异的特质。黑木呈黑褐色,横截面和纵切面都展现出美丽流畅的纹理,木质致密而坚硬。黑木树干并非通体皆黑，其外形与一般树木并无两样，原来黑木树只有内部才呈黑木质，一颗直径为30cm的黑木只有不到20cm直径的黑木质，但与外围的白色木质间界限清晰并呈现连续生长。
　　在非洲雕刻工艺中以黑木雕最为著名。其木质的颜色与黑肤色人种之间有着天然的密切和协调。黑木雕的主题多为夸张的人体造型和动物。木雕人像的面部表情的形式多种多样，经常在椭圆体的头上直接雕刻上五官，眼睛是杏核眼，微微凸起，没有瞳孔，一条竖的细缝贯穿眼睛中间，形成一种忧郁的眼神。嘴在面部表情中起着很大的作用，用一条宽的或窄的缝隙来表现，缝隙中，有时表现出牙齿，但很少刻出嘴唇。他们将生殖繁衍视为神圣，有关雕塑技巧明显高于对其他部位的刻划水平。非洲黑檀木雕，有的显示出少女特有的光滑细腻而富有弹性的皮肤质感，人物头部的准确比例与胸部的夸张饱满形成对比，突出少女健美迷人的身姿和纯真的羞涩表情。人像通常是用一根木料雕制成，往往呈直立状态，没有任何转身姿势，没有手势动作，看似僵硬固定。有的根据木材的本来形状色调设计造型，巧夺天工。非洲木雕艺术作品的特点还在于节奏感，赋予雕像不同的节奏，使作品产生出稳定感或灵巧感、重量感或轻盈感、宏伟感或优雅感。黑人艺术家通过安排雕像的各个部分的体积、形式及空间位置，使手中的雕像表达着各种感情。

Blackwood Crafts

　　Many carving are available in Sudan’s souks (markets). The valuable Blackwood tree, botanically referredto as Dalbergia melanoxylon, ebony, blackwood, black mahogany, or mpingo，is widely used in the woodcarving industry and in musical instrument manufacture. Ebony is an exceptionally hard and beautiful wood,found in the Sahara desert regions of Africa. Its exceptional density not only makes it very heavy, but alsogives it an incomparable sheen when polished. The outer circumference of an ebony trunk is white, and itscolor changes to almost black towards its core. The contrasting colors have the same hardness, texture andgrain. Sometimes, figures are carved into the exposed wood core which is black, while the white ebonyskin has been left in its natural state. The blackkwood work is both traditional and contemporary, reflectinga tribal past as well as modern urban life. Artists use tribal myths and stories as inspiration. Animalstatuettes, and human and demon-faced ceremonial masks are common.