Vintage carved African elephant necklace

This beautiful piece was purchased by my aunt in Africa, when she taught there in the 60s. It's about 18 inches long, with the central elephant adding another inch or so. The six other elephants are just a bit smaller. All of them are intraicately carved out of wood that could be acacia or mango. The creamy beads may be bone or resin. The closure screws together tightly.