ANOTHER LANCE ... BORNU ? your views please

[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.