Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - Peculiar question

Martin Lubojacky · 29th January 2017, 04:01 PM

Hi Apolaki,

I think your sword is not classical Dahomean hwi and I would say it is (not old) Yoruba cereminial cutlass. I do not know its name, nevertheless some people call them (also) Ada, although acc to Ch. Spring the name Ada belongs to much bigger swords of Oba/king (former Kingdom of Benin in the current Nigerian territory). I do not know the meaning of symbology. As far as the connection is concerned - Dahomey and Yoruba were neighbours (often in war), I think the mythology was similar. From Yorubaland it is not far to Bini ... It also looks like the one of favourite war weapons in western part of Guinea Coast was cutlass with bulbous tip. It could influence the form of cerenmonial items ...

29th January 2017, 04:01 PM	#7
Martin Lubojacky Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Czech Republic Posts: 843	Hi Apolaki, I think your sword is not classical Dahomean hwi and I would say it is (not old) Yoruba cereminial cutlass. I do not know its name, nevertheless some people call them (also) Ada, although acc to Ch. Spring the name Ada belongs to much bigger swords of Oba/king (former Kingdom of Benin in the current Nigerian territory). I do not know the meaning of symbology. As far as the connection is concerned - Dahomey and Yoruba were neighbours (often in war), I think the mythology was similar. From Yorubaland it is not far to Bini ... It also looks like the one of favourite war weapons in western part of Guinea Coast was cutlass with bulbous tip. It could influence the form of cerenmonial items ...