Short Sword For Identification

colin henshaw · 31st December 2020, 12:54 PM

An interesting sword, thanks for posting. I would place it as from the Cameroon Grasslands area. The rather crudely cast brass hilt likely represents a lion's head. The lion has long been a popular symbol of power and strength in many societies including Africa. Possibly the inspiration in this case came from European military sword hilts ??

Blades with squared off or rounded tips seem to have been popular in the Cameroon Grasslands area (Tikar, Bamum, Bamileke peoples).

For reference please see : "Panga na Visu" by Zirngible & Kubetz, numbers 108, 109 & 110 for similar hilts, but in ivory.

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31st December 2020, 12:54 PM	#9
colin henshaw Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 1,429	An interesting sword, thanks for posting. I would place it as from the Cameroon Grasslands area. The rather crudely cast brass hilt likely represents a lion's head. The lion has long been a popular symbol of power and strength in many societies including Africa. Possibly the inspiration in this case came from European military sword hilts ?? Blades with squared off or rounded tips seem to have been popular in the Cameroon Grasslands area (Tikar, Bamum, Bamileke peoples). For reference please see : "Panga na Visu" by Zirngible & Kubetz, numbers 108, 109 & 110 for similar hilts, but in ivory.