Ceremonial Wood Dagger
Yoruba, Nigeria
Hardwood
Early 20th century

This is an interesting and unusual example. First, it's a skeuomorph - a work representing an object typically found in one material (wood and metal) rendered in another: all wood. The handle with four points (one broken off) and three ridges is distinctly Hausa - a Muslim culture of the Sahel. Strangely however, the blade depicts a fish and a snake at odds with the Islamic prohibition against rendering graven images of people and animals. The Hausa were dispersed across a broad belt of Niger and Nigeria and were active traders with the Yoruba (Pers. communication, Amyas Naegele, May 2022).

The most significant detail that identifies this piece as Yoruba is the depiction of creatures in a profile view. Incised patterns are essential to identifying African blades, and the Yoruba are one of the only cultures that portrays characters in profile, whereas most African cultures only use dorsal view (from above). Notably, the manner in which the designs on the "blade" are executed here is via small, individual punches, the way in which a blacksmith would apply them to a piece of iron. In contrast, the designs on the handle are executed in the manner in which a wood carver would achieve them. It seems probable that one artist carved the handle and a different artist detailed the blade. 

18.5 in :: 47 cm

InventoryID #13-1967

Price on Request