A Fine Azande Arm Dagger
A Fine Azande Arm Dagger
Azande / Banda / Banziri / Kreish / Sere / Bongo / Adio or neighboring people
Upper Ubangi- Ubangi- Shari, French Equatorial Africa (Central African Republic) - Uélé- Ubangi District, Belgian Congo (Democratic Republic of the Congo) - Dār Fertit - Bahr el Ghazail, Anglo- Egyptian Sudan (Western Bahr el Ghazal, South Sudan)
Late 19th - Early 20th century (ca. 1900)
Steel, ivory (elephant), leather
Blade: 22,2cm
Hilt & Blade: 31,2cm
Hilt, Blade, Sheath: 33,7cm
Collection Date: 2024
Collection Number: 411
Ex. French Private Collection (2023)
The Azande arm dagger is similar to other arm daggers that can be found across Africa with minor differences in form and materials. This is a fine example from the Azande, Banda, or closely neighboring people between the Central African Republic, Congo, and South Sudan.
The steel blade is straight, double- edged with a shallow central fuller. The blade is decorated with dots connected by arched lines. Two section hilt carved from elephant ivory, decorated in black circle- dot motifs and line work. The sheath is tooled leather with a reptile skin section. Leather with traditional stamped designs with the attached leather braided arm loop. One of the nicest examples, complete with the original sheath and arm loop. The decoration work is cohesive and organized.