Loop daggers of the Tiv people

Marcus · 2nd December 2013, 08:10 PM

I recently acquired a loop dagger from Oriental arms:
http://www.oriental-arms.com/item.php?id=5959

I have been trying to understand the cultural context. My reading suggests that the Tiv are relatively peaceful and pastoral people, so I do not understand why they are associated with this type of weapon. Also, all of these daggers I have seen on offer from Artzi or elsewhere seem as if they are made of relatively high quality steel. It is unclear to me that these are likely to have been produced locally in Africa.

It is my understanding that the first western contacts with the Tiv occurred in the early 20th century and these pieces do not appear to be much older than that.

Any insights?

2nd December 2013, 08:10 PM	#1
Marcus Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 420	Loop daggers of the Tiv people I recently acquired a loop dagger from Oriental arms: http://www.oriental-arms.com/item.php?id=5959 I have been trying to understand the cultural context. My reading suggests that the Tiv are relatively peaceful and pastoral people, so I do not understand why they are associated with this type of weapon. Also, all of these daggers I have seen on offer from Artzi or elsewhere seem as if they are made of relatively high quality steel. It is unclear to me that these are likely to have been produced locally in Africa. It is my understanding that the first western contacts with the Tiv occurred in the early 20th century and these pieces do not appear to be much older than that. Any insights?