A Fine and Fascinating SE African YAO Dagger

mahratt · 26th March 2020, 06:00 AM

Hello Charles

Congratulations! You have a beautiful knife.

This is undoubtedly a Yao knife from Africa. I think the handle is not made from ivory, but from a hippo tooth. Yao preferred this material for handles.

Richard G · 26th March 2020, 03:10 PM

There's one in the Pitt Rivers Museum.
Regards
Richard
http://objects.prm.ox.ac.uk/pages/PRMUID35293.html

Richard G · 26th March 2020, 03:44 PM

The National Museum of Scotland also has one,
Regards
Richard
https://www.nms.ac.uk/explore-our-co...item_id=338853

ariel · 26th March 2020, 05:26 PM

Baldric mount on the Katara and the Omani khanjar are very good evidence .
But what clinches the story is the Pitt Rivers example with impeccable provenance.

It IS Malawi.

Good job, Charles and a truly beautiful dagger with 100% accurate attribution.

CharlesS · 26th March 2020, 05:30 PM

Richard, thanks so much for your additions. Those are very old examples!

Ariel, thanks for your comments...you made me do some hard work, but I love it!

Richard G · 27th March 2020, 02:26 PM

Here is a knife of the same construction but showing a lot 'African' characteristics, the lack of which seem to trouble some of our fellow forumites
Regards
Richard

Martin Lubojacky · 27th March 2020, 07:44 PM

This is very nice knife (East African, probably Yao ...

and good discussion. Thank you.

(I think that such short tongue could derogate general working life and "load characteristic" of the knife as such. I was always wondering why in some cases they made it so short. In the case of longer and heavier blades - e.g. so called Berber (or Dominican

swords it was not too much practical....)

27th March 2020, 02:26 PM	#6
Richard G Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 415	Here is a knife of the same construction but showing a lot 'African' characteristics, the lack of which seem to trouble some of our fellow forumites Regards Richard Attached Images

26th March 2020, 06:00 AM	#1
mahratt Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Russia Posts: 1,042	Hello Charles Congratulations! You have a beautiful knife. This is undoubtedly a Yao knife from Africa. I think the handle is not made from ivory, but from a hippo tooth. Yao preferred this material for handles.

26th March 2020, 03:10 PM	#2
Richard G Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 415	There's one in the Pitt Rivers Museum. Regards Richard http://objects.prm.ox.ac.uk/pages/PRMUID35293.html

26th March 2020, 03:44 PM	#3
Richard G Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 415	The National Museum of Scotland also has one, Regards Richard https://www.nms.ac.uk/explore-our-co...item_id=338853

26th March 2020, 05:26 PM	#4
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	Baldric mount on the Katara and the Omani khanjar are very good evidence . But what clinches the story is the Pitt Rivers example with impeccable provenance. It IS Malawi. Good job, Charles and a truly beautiful dagger with 100% accurate attribution.

26th March 2020, 05:30 PM	#5
CharlesS Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Greenville, NC Posts: 1,854	Richard, thanks so much for your additions. Those are very old examples! Ariel, thanks for your comments...you made me do some hard work, but I love it!

27th March 2020, 07:44 PM	#7
Martin Lubojacky Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Czech Republic Posts: 845	This is very nice knife (East African, probably Yao ... and good discussion. Thank you. (I think that such short tongue could derogate general working life and "load characteristic" of the knife as such. I was always wondering why in some cases they made it so short. In the case of longer and heavier blades - e.g. so called Berber (or Dominican swords it was not too much practical....)