Lew Waldman's Ethnographic Arms & Armour Collection Archive


155 - West African All Steel Throwing Lance/Spear with Leather Sheath for Blade, Dan Tribe, Ivory Coast

This entire spear is forged from iron and appears to be all hand work. The leaf shaped blade features a high mid rib that merges into the shaft. A seam along one side of the shaft indicates that it is a actually a tube and material within the hollow rattles as the spear is moved. The butt end is of spatulate fish tail form with raised edges except at the chisel and also is decorated with a copper rivet. The length is 106.7 cm overall with the old leather scabbard in place and 103 cm for just the spear. Mass for spear only is 842 g.




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