Ceremonial Spear or Harpoon
Mahdist, Sudan
Iron, wood, monitor
19th century

Sudan was governed by foreign powers for most of the nineteenth century – first by Egypt in 1822 and then by Great Britain in 1873. The hardship experienced by the Sudanese population during this time produced widespread support for Muhammed Ibn Ahmad, who promised liberation alongside a renewal of faith. In 1881, Ahmad was proclaimed “the Mahdi” – the messiah and revolutionary leader – and he would go on to lead his Mahdist followers to military victories and the establishment of a vast Islamic state. The Mahdist regime came to an end after a defeat by the British at the Battle of Omdurman in 1898, and Sudan was again placed under British and Egyptian control until 1956 (Spring, African Arms and Armor, 1993; Westerdijk, The African Throwing Knife, 1988).

28.5 cm :: 72 cm

InventoryID #13-2238

SOLD