Lew Waldman's Ethnographic Arms & Armour Collection Archive


1137 - East African Beja Tribe X-Hilt Curved Double-Edged Dagger

This style of 'X-hilted' dagger is typical of the Beja Hadendoa or Beni-Amir peoples of Eritrea and the Sudan that live along the southwestern shores of the Red Sea. The dark brown wooden hilt has lighter sapwood at the tips of the arms on one side and is decorated with geometric carvings on the faces and the outer tips of the back arms (see bottom photo). The curved double edge blade has slightly convex faces from which each side is beveled to the edges. There is a short narrow fuller on each face and two pair of lines across the forte of the blade perpendicular to its length.The faces show an age darkened patina except for brightening over the high points, with an abundance of diagonal striations from finishing or honing and some patches of shallow pitting and discoloration. The length of the dagger with hilt is 12½ inches (32 cm); the blade alone is 8¾ inches (22.3 cm) in length and the weight is 7.3 ounces (208 grams).


East African Beja Tribe X-Hilt Curved Double-Edged Dagger

East African Beja Tribe X-Hilt Curved Double-Edged Dagger

East African Beja Tribe X-Hilt Curved Double-Edged Dagger



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