Afena State Sword
Akan: Asante (Ashanti), Ghana
Iron, wood, gold leaf
Early 20th century

The state sword afena was revered as one of the most important items of regalia associated with the Asantehene (king) of Asante and other major Asante chiefships. The afena was fitted with a curved iron blade, broad at the point, but gradually tapering towards a wooden hilt, sometimes encased in gold and consisting of two spheres at either end of the cylindrical grip. Swords in general had been largely outmoded by firearms during the seventeenth century. However, the afena became an object that could be instantly identifiable anywhere in the kingdom as imparting the authority of the Asantehene to its bearer. This was extremely important in a kingdom which included many non-Akan peoples (Spring, African Arms and Armor, 1993).

The specific functions and forms of afena swords varied from state to state. In general, they were used for swearing oaths, as symbols of ambassadorial rank and safe passage, during purification rites of chiefs and ancestral stools, and for display (Visonà, Poynor & Cole, A History of Art in Africa, 2008)

26.75 in :: 68 cm

InventoryID #13-2249

SOLD