African Copper Axe

RobT · 21st October 2005, 11:30 PM

Hi All,
My wife is partial to copper and African handicrafts so I bought her this axe a year ago. The haft is copper clad wood. This cladding consists of four main sections, two cover the upper portion of the haft and two cover the lower. You can just make out the horizontal seam where the upper and lower portions meet. There is also a vertical seam that runs up the sides and along the top. A separate section (or two) encloses the flaired butt. The copper is nailed to the wood of the haft by tiny hand cut nails that are placed chiefly along the seams but are also liberally sprinkled elsewhere. I assume the nails are also copper (although they could be brass) since there was no attraction to a magnet placed over them and because there is not the type of discoloration surrounding them as would occur if the nails were ferrous metal. As indicated by the repousse faces on each side, the blade must be made in two halves but the joint is so fine that it is almost invisible even when viewed with a jeweler's loupe. Does anyone have any idea which group of folks made this piece?
Sincerely,
RobT

Tim Simmons · 22nd October 2005, 08:46 AM

Hi, very nice axe. I am still after one of these. I think this is a particularly nice piece of beaten copper, the blade has been made from one ingot of copper. Larger iron ones are also made with several heads on them, supposedly representing the number of tribes under the control of a tribal leader. These axes come from the eastern Congo and are often attributed to the Songye people of which there are several sub groups. There are other members that will be able to give better information and possibly show other very nice examples. I shall keep looking. Tim

Flavio · 22nd October 2005, 12:38 PM

Hello Rob, Tim is right, this is a songye-nsapo axe from south-eastern Congo, and is right also on the fact that blade is made from a one-piece ingot. Here are some pics of my axe

RobT · 22nd October 2005, 06:57 PM

Tim and Flavio,
Thanks for the tribal id for my axe. Spring (in African Arms and Armor) attributes a similar iron axe with a pierced head to the Songye but I didn't know for sure if they made copper ones. Also thanks for correcting my two piece blade assumption. I guess the the repousse effect with the faces is achieved by first casting the blade in a mold with those features and then later incising and hammering the cast blade?
Sincerely,
RobT

21st October 2005, 11:30 PM	#1
RobT Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 462	African Copper Axe Hi All, My wife is partial to copper and African handicrafts so I bought her this axe a year ago. The haft is copper clad wood. This cladding consists of four main sections, two cover the upper portion of the haft and two cover the lower. You can just make out the horizontal seam where the upper and lower portions meet. There is also a vertical seam that runs up the sides and along the top. A separate section (or two) encloses the flaired butt. The copper is nailed to the wood of the haft by tiny hand cut nails that are placed chiefly along the seams but are also liberally sprinkled elsewhere. I assume the nails are also copper (although they could be brass) since there was no attraction to a magnet placed over them and because there is not the type of discoloration surrounding them as would occur if the nails were ferrous metal. As indicated by the repousse faces on each side, the blade must be made in two halves but the joint is so fine that it is almost invisible even when viewed with a jeweler's loupe. Does anyone have any idea which group of folks made this piece? Sincerely, RobT Attached Images

22nd October 2005, 12:38 PM	#3
Flavio Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Italia Posts: 1,243	Hello Rob, Tim is right, this is a songye-nsapo axe from south-eastern Congo, and is right also on the fact that blade is made from a one-piece ingot. Here are some pics of my axe Attached Images

22nd October 2005, 06:57 PM	#4
RobT Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 462	Thanks for ID and info Tim and Flavio, Thanks for the tribal id for my axe. Spring (in African Arms and Armor) attributes a similar iron axe with a pierced head to the Songye but I didn't know for sure if they made copper ones. Also thanks for correcting my two piece blade assumption. I guess the the repousse effect with the faces is achieved by first casting the blade in a mold with those features and then later incising and hammering the cast blade? Sincerely, RobT

22nd October 2005, 08:46 AM	#2
Tim Simmons Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: What is still UK Posts: 5,750	Hi, very nice axe. I am still after one of these. I think this is a particularly nice piece of beaten copper, the blade has been made from one ingot of copper. Larger iron ones are also made with several heads on them, supposedly representing the number of tribes under the control of a tribal leader. These axes come from the eastern Congo and are often attributed to the Songye people of which there are several sub groups. There are other members that will be able to give better information and possibly show other very nice examples. I shall keep looking. Tim