An African spear

[Tatyana Dianova]

This is the only African piece that I have (I hope it is African ). Also, I do not have much experience with African weapons, so any help will be much appreciated. I’ve got this spear on the local antique fair; it was on the stand with the old household pieces. The woman, that was selling it, told us, that it is a hunting spear from Zimbabwe, 19th cent. You know, all rusty things are always labeled as 19th century by sellers . The spear was very rusty, so the seller told us, that it is still covered with the blood of killed animals, and was afraid even to touch it . So I decided to save the poor seller from the evil thing (and the poor spear from the seller).
I do not think it is as old, as 19th century, because of the copper wire, that is used on the spear shaft. But the general feeling from the spear is very functional and compact, and quite heavy, unlike modern tourist pieces that I have seen. The shaft is made from the hard and heavy wood, and it is not very straight. The front and back pieces are definitely hand forged. The total length is 143 cm. Any comments are welcome .

[Tim Simmons]

The seller may well have been right. A nice spear but not the most distinct and is of a form that could come from a vast area of Africa, along the eastern side all the way up to the Sudan. It could be from territories under German control in the early 20th cent.