Short Sword with Scabbard
Yaure, Ivory Coast
Iron, wood, leather, vegetal fiber
Late 19th / early 20th century
Very little is known about this type of short sword, other than it comes from the Yaure. Interestingly, the geometric designs carved into the crossguard are different on each side. Note the crack on one side of the handle.
The Yaure people, 20,000 in total, settled in the Ivory Coast in the territory between the Baule to the west, the Guro to the east, and Lake Kossou to the north. They are divided into three main groups living in approximately 20 villages scattered over a rich savannah where baboons, bush-cows, and deer are hunted. A chief, assisted by a council of elders, leads each village. Their language, culture, religion, and art are influenced by their powerful neighbors, the Baule and the Guro. Nevertheless, they possess a strong sense of identity and have evolved a characteristic and refind art (Bacquart, The Tribal Arts of Africa, 1998).
27.25 in :: 69 cm
InventoryID #13-2117
SOLD