Rubber Elephant

This is Nomkhubulwane (pronounced Nom-koo-bull-wah-nee) which means "Mother Earth" in Zulu. "Born" in Africa, she has visited Mexico and El Paso and now resides in Fayetteville, Arkansas' downtown square, but will soon continue her world tour as a "global ambassador of creative possibilities" with a goal of "inspiring conversations about things that matter."

Below is a close-up of her "skin" which is recycled rubber tire strips woven onto a steel armature. She weighs 1.3 tons and stands over 9 feet tall and 16+ feet long and is the inspiration of artist Andries Botha of South Africa.



True to all elephants, Nomkhubulwane will move around the world opening up ancient forgotten paths that link the past to the present. She joins 11 other Human Elephant Foundation elephants who are serving as advocates of a shared visionary movement. At some point in the near future, we hope the whole herd may gather in one place.

Nomkhubulwane has a particular mandate around issues of ecology and conservation but she is not restricted to this. She will work to remind us that such an idea can never be achieved without acknowledging the importance of inviting each and every human being into this conversation.

Here is her website.