Lew Waldman's Ethnographic Arms & Armour Collection Archive


1161 - West African Lobi Tribe Figural Slingshot

This is a carved wooden slingshot originating from the Lobi Tribe in Burkina Faso in West Africa. Characteristically employing a human form, these slingshots are used for hunting small game. This nicely carved example stands 7¼ inches (18.2 cm) tall and weighs about 2.45 ounces (69 grams). The features of the face are different between front and back, as are the anatomical features highlighted. There is some old chipping from the 'legs' of the front of the figure and some old narrow cracks on the sides. The finish appears slightly less smoothed and paler in the area to which the now absent sling would have been attached.


West African Lobi Tribe Figural Slingshot

West African Lobi Tribe Figural Slingshot



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