Lew Waldman's Ethnographic Arms & Armour Collection Archive


42 - East African Sudanese Arm Dagger with Sheath, Mid 20th Century

This dagger features a straight double edged blade measuring just over 7½ inches (19.2 cm). At the base of the blade, on both sides are a pair of crossed diagonal lines beyond which the blade is reduced somewhat in width and shows evidence of honing. The blade shows darkening where it joins the hilt and has not been brightened by the sheath and honing. A wooden hilt is flattened in cross-section beside the base of the blade (and shows slight old loss to one side) and transitions to a round cross section towards its center where there is decoration by means of annular rings before the hilt swells out to form a round pommel. A metal cap separates the wooden hilt from a cuboidal tang button with flattened points. The knife is accompanied by a brown leather sheath with reptilian leather trim over a wooden core and an attached braided leather arm ring. The dagger measures just over a foot (30.6 cm) in overall length and weighs just over 6 ounces (175 grams). Sheathed, the length is 13¼ inches (33.8 cm) with a weight of 9 ounces (258 grams).


East African Sudanese Arm Dagger

East African Sudanese Arm Dagger

East African Sudanese Arm Dagger

East African Sudanese Arm Dagger



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