Well, I hate to keep posting on my own thread, but here's some more germane information:
Apparently, "Mikea" is an ambiguous term, like "gypsie," or "cowboy" that could be taken as a tribe, the remnants of an indigenous group, people who gather materials (especially food) from the forest, or people who fled into the forest to escape being conquered (or forced into slavery) in the 17th to 19th centuries. All of these are at least partially true.
Now, with the subtext of "forest dweller," Mikea has taken on meaning for the international conservation movement, so recent settlers in the area are also claiming to be Mikea to get a piece of the action and (possibly?) to keep from being relocated out of the Mikea forest.
Now, how does this relate to the spear? Well, one of the major forest gathering activities is (as noted on the sign) digging up wild yams for food. Thus the digging end on this spear is important.
The spearhead also makes sense in context. The Mikea took to the forests to remain free, and one of their historic threats (sometimes actions) was to ambush and spear anyone who pursued them into the forest.
So basically, functional or not, this spear looks like a symbol of Mikea identity: yam digger on one end, free man's weapon on the other.
Getting back to what Conogre posted, I don't think we have to invoke the supernatural in this case to explain the shape of this spear. Whether this is true for other African spears is an entirely different question.
Personally, I'd love to see a copy of that list that Freddy made up, if you have a way of sending it.
Fearn
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