Lew Waldman's Ethnographic Arms & Armour Collection Archive


1150 - East African Turkana Tribe Ngigolio Finger Knives (2)

The ngigolio or finger knife is a specialized weapon used in close quarters by the Turkana and related tribes in East Africa. A flat strip of iron has been forged into a ring that may be worn around a finger and opposite this ring and turning at a ninety degree angle (relative to the strip forming the ring) the forging expands into an eccentric semicircular blade that protrudes to form a point on one side. Ethnographic literature indicates that the blade might have been concealed by rotating the ring to bring the blade flat against the palm. Copper wire is wrapped around the neck of the blade once it emerges from the ring. The brighter copper on the ring to the right in the images may be a later replacement. The ngigolio with the tarnished copper measures 3.4 inches (8.6 cm) by 2.4 inches (6.1 cm) by 0.4 inch (1 cm) with a weight of 1.7 ounces (49 grams) while the other with bright copper measures 3.4 inches (8.6 cm) by 2.4 inches (6.2 cm) by 0.4 inch (1.1 cm) and weighs 1.5 ounces (44 grams). The inside diameters of the rings at maximum width are 1.2 inches (3 cm) for the ngigolio with the tarnished copper and 0.9 inch (2.25 cm) for the other with the bright copper.


Turkana Tribe Ngigolio Finger Knives

Turkana Tribe Ngigolio Finger Knives



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