Ceremonial / Sacrificial Knife, Vy Lava
Bara, Madagascar
Iron, brass, copper
Early 20th century

When the destiny of a patient was threatened, a diviner (Ombiasy) would prescribe a sacrifice whose severity was relative to the possible dangers that could be incurred. Sometimes an incantation or a simple handful of earth thrown into the wind was enough to ward off the evil; in more serious cases, a chicken, sheep, or zebu (humped ox) would bear the brunt of the divinatory verdict. These immolations also accompanied other life events: the Joro, a propitiatory prayer addressed to the ancestors to obtain a favor, the celebrations accompanying circumcision, the exorcism rites of the Tromba, and the Bilo fertility rites were also the occasion for such practices.

The sacred knives used during these ceremonies were called Vy Lava by the Bara, and could only be touched by qualified people; they were religiously passed down from elder to elder. The steel blade of these instruments was very similar to European kitchen knives, except that its non-edged side was inlaid with series of copper rectangles and engraved with geometric patterns. The handle was entirely made of copper alloy, imported or recovered from rifle bullets or electrical wires, and decorated with various sketches in which the characters engage in everyday activities.

In 1993, Nicole Boulfroy, ethnologist in charge of Madagascar at the Musée de l'Homme, described them in these terms: Prestigious knives, probably belonging to the chiefs of Bara clans and vassals of the kings, called Lonaky or Andriana, Mesa k’hova, or “Mesan’ Andriana, used in occasional sacrifices. Worn on the belt or under the armpits.

The most widespread version of this weapon was undoubtedly the model used during the ceremonies linked to circumcision depicted by rare witnesses who do not, however, specify whether the victim of this bladed weapon was the animal used as an offering or the foreskin of the initiate. The recurring theme represented on this instrument seems to be part of an ancient tradition: a male figure straddles the handle of the dagger so that the blade emerges from between his legs like a triumphant appendage. This symbol of virility is confirmed, at the end of the handle, by a humped duck, kadra draka, renowned for its sexual vigor. This example also depicts a zebu and a crocodile (Goy, Arts Anciens de Madagascar, 2015). 

12.75 in :: 32 cm

InventoryID #13-2810

SOLD