Ingessana Hameg
Hameg
Ingessana
Mahdist Sudan - Dar Funj - Sennar, Anglo- Egyptian Sudan (Tabi Hills Region, Blue Nile State, Sudan)
Late 19th - Early 20th century (ca. 1880 - 1910)
Steel, horn, bone
Blade: 24 5/8" (62.5cm)
Hilt & Blade: 34 1/4" (87cm)
Hilt, Blade, Sheath: -cm
Collection Date: 2024
Collection Number: 452
Ex. Oriental Arms: Haifa, Israel (2024)
A rare prestige or ceremonial sword, the hameg, of the Ingessana People near the Tabi Hills Region of the Blue Nile Sudan. The long, straight steel double- edged blade gently tapers to a long point. Two shallow grooves follow the blade's edge on each side to the tip. Within the blade on each side are extensive linear and geometrically incised patterns of dots, arcs, diamonds, and cross-hatched designs. Toward the point is a stylized crocodile in the same manner of decoration, a talisman commonly found on blades along the Nile Region.
The large hilt is composed of carved sections of horn with a flared guard and an octagonal bone central grip. The pommel is carved with a large down curved horn section with small hole patterned designs. Ending in a single horn prong. Missing the original crocodile sheath. Ingessana Hameg swords are uncommon as not a lot are found in museums or private collections. Most examples date to the Mahdist period of the late 19th century.
Photograph 17: An Ingessana warrior holding a shield, club, and spears. Baw (Wisko), Blue Nile Tabbi Hills, November - December 1926. Photograph by Edward Evan Evans-Pritchard, Pitt Rivers Museum
[4] https://africanarms.com/gallery.html?8-ingessana-with-croc-90-102-cm
[5] https://africanarms.com/gallery.html?ceremonial-ingessana-with-lizard-scabbard
[6] https://africanarms.com/gallery.html?ingessana-with-croc-scabbard-68-x-10-cm