Ceremonial / Prestige Axe, nxatabuya or shangaan
Tsonga / Ndau / Shangaan / Venda, South Africa / Mozambique / Zimbabwe
Copper, wood, iron
Early 20th century

This axe is a ceremonial version of a battle axe that comes from the Tsonga, Ndau, and Shangaan, who live in southern Mozambique, and the Venda, who live in Zimbabwe and South Africa. Variations of this axe type can also be found among the Shona and Karanga of Zimbabwe (Elsen, De fer et de fierté, 2003).

This variation is particularly unusual, as the blade is made up of a thick copper cone that is hammered flat with two facets at its end. Like other Tsonga axes, the facets are selectively blackened, emphasizing contrast. The shape of the wood "head" with coiffure is characteristic of the Tsonga aesthetic. 

In addition to their role as indicators of status, axes of this type also carried ancestral symbolism as they were preserved as heirlooms and passed from one generation to the next. Some examples were also used ritually, during spirit possessions (Petridis, The Art of Daily Life, 2011).

15.5 in :: 39 cm

InventoryID #13-2243

Price on Request