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Originally Posted by Iain
Hi,
I think this could be Bornu. The markings don't give much of a clue, these simple geometric patterns could be attributed to any number of groups in the area. Bornu, Kanem, Hausa cities, Mandingo, Mossi, all used similar cavalry lances. I usually go with the label Sahel when in doubt. I'm not sure there's much reference material for these, beyond the more distinctive Tuareg and Fulani examples.
This seems to be a nice sturdy piece and always a pleasant surprise to see an example that hasn't been cut down. Thanks for posting it, I feel like these are an important part of the Sahel panoply that tend to get ignored for the more glamorous swords and daggers.
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Thank you Iain ... as I said it could be the twin of the one in the ethnographic section of Liverpool World Museum. On this subject I have to commend Liverpool for its exceptionally fine collection of ethnographica . As Liverpool was such an important trading port in the late 18th & 19th centuries the amount of stuff brought back to the region for private collections was immense. Much of this eventually found its way to the museum. It is particularly strong on West African artefacts , the city having had such close ties with the slave trade.