How can I tell if a carving is ebony?

My daughter gave me a carving of a totem pole as a gift. It came as part of a donation to the charity shop she helps run. It’s wooden and black, although it could have been stained. It shows a grain pattern, although it could have come from how it was worked, and the pole and plinth appear to be made as a single piece. The wood is very hard and dense, and I can’t dent or mark it with a fingernail. It sinks in water. I’m just curious.