is this a common dagger?

tom hyle · 6th March 2005, 03:47 PM

Not familiar in specific, but the brass work looks Western or central African. The snakes may connote a royal household connection in some nations, but this is not universal. The asymetric pommel is interesting. Male and female figures together are common on African art, BTW. Probably a ritual piece for use in ceremonies ("dances"), would be my guess, largely due to the symbolism and uncomfortable(?) look of the handle. I note the snake is leaving the woman, aproaching the man; meaning unknown. Usually more wildly shaped and decorated blades are seen on Yoruba/Beni and Akan (Ashanti, etc.) prestige swords, but for religious ceremonies one could expect different rules and symbols for different gods, regions, etc.......

6th March 2005, 03:47 PM	#3
tom hyle Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Houston, TX, USA Posts: 1,254	Not familiar in specific, but the brass work looks Western or central African. The snakes may connote a royal household connection in some nations, but this is not universal. The asymetric pommel is interesting. Male and female figures together are common on African art, BTW. Probably a ritual piece for use in ceremonies ("dances"), would be my guess, largely due to the symbolism and uncomfortable(?) look of the handle. I note the snake is leaving the woman, aproaching the man; meaning unknown. Usually more wildly shaped and decorated blades are seen on Yoruba/Beni and Akan (Ashanti, etc.) prestige swords, but for religious ceremonies one could expect different rules and symbols for different gods, regions, etc.......