I haven't got a clue...but it's definitively African !
 

I found this piece on ebay France this week. At first I thought it was some kind of axe. I looked better at the 'axe blade' and something was peculiar about it. In my opinion, it comes from West-Africa.

I asked the seller for some other pics. She said it was some kind of 'hammerlike' object. Very heavy (777 gr.). The handle is covered with braided leather.

It wasn't expensive :D , so I bought it : http://cgi.benl.ebay.be/ws/eBayISAPI...EOIBSA:BENL:11


I haven't received it yet, but here are already some pics :

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...man/d7_1_b.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...man/OUTILI.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...an/OUTILII.jpg

Does anyone else have an idea ?

Hi Freddy,
it could be some kind of 'war hammer', similar to the weapon used in Europe, however the handle would be longer and the head heavier.
If it is a 'war hammer'....I would think that yours...being fairly ornate...is probably ceremonial. Still, if used ...would certainly give you a 'splitting' head ache.... :rolleyes:

It will be interesting to find out what the white woven material is. It looks like something from the Sahel, presumably from French West Africa or Chad/Central Africa.

Could it be similiar to this?

http://www.fototime.com/2D37740A5044318/standard.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/24483348493241A/standard.jpg

In this case it appears to be a handcut strip of thin white plastic.

Observation
 

"I'm no expert" :rolleyes:

But.......

This item looks like a dressed up smith's forging hammer .
Possibly ceremonial ?

Hi Tim,
after translating Freddy's link, the seller states:

decorated with fine strips black and white out of synthetic matter and braided leather