African(?) Paddle/Spoon with Knife?
 

Another oddity I got a while ago. OAL 35". Wooden with a small, sharp but crudely made knife in the end of it. The "ferrule" looks to be made from an old tin/aluminium can. My questions are: Is ths indeed African? It isn't hollowed out like a spoon; is it a paddle of some kind? Is it for local use or touristic? As always, any advice is appreciated!

--Radleigh

Hello,
I am of the opinion it is of African origin, not made for tourists and (despite aluminium) not very contemporary (I would say it could be even 30 - 40 years old) - and also it is not tribal item. In some African countries (e.g. Ethiopia) chiefs/leaders of various armed groups (either regular or irregular, also private guardians etc.) used to wear such half meter long sticks with secret knife as a supplement of clothes and sign of certain supremacy.But te form of paddle I can see for the first time (by the way, it

sorry for interruption
....evokes certain form of horse-rider´s switch.
Regards,
Martin

Thanks a lot for the info! Any idea what the marking may mean?

I am afraid this will nobody know exactly - it is private marking, it could be anything - from ordinary K to amharic letter "soft" S