Beja Dagger
Available: $500 + Shipping
Beja Dagger
Beja
Anglo- Egyptian Sudan (Eastern Sudan)
Second quarter of the 20th century (ca. 1920 - 1945)
African blackwood, metal alloy, steel, leather
Blade: 21,6cm
Hilt & Blade: 33cm
Hilt, Blade, Sheath: 34,9cm
Collection Date: 2016
Collection Number: 38
Ex. Late Lew Waldman Collection: Fayetteville, New York, USA (2016)
The traditional dagger of the Beja People, including the Hadendoa, Bisharin, Amarar, Beni-Amir, and other numerous subtribes coming from the Sudan and Eritrea region. This fine example is in the rare "reverse hook" blade variation. Complete with its sheath, it was produced in Eastern Sudan, likely in the areas of Khartoum, Kassala, Suakin, or Port Sudan.
The steel blade is double- edged with a medial ridge in its entirety, straight in form before curving into a hook and recurving back out. Very good steel with a wide blade point. Each side of the ricasso is engraved with linear chevron decoration, while halfway down the length of the blade are more engraved motifs.
African blackwood "X" fluted hilt with wrapped silver wire on the central grip with a silver alloy band extending around the pommel. Eight silver alloy buttons adorn the front side. The sheath follows the blade form with a long opening on one side to fit within. It is finely embossed using black stitches on the red leather with nicely tooled classical Sudanese designs. This is a fine quality Beja dagger, complete and in perfect condition.
Photograph 17: A Beni Amir Tigre Man with a similar knife in his belt, Akordat, Eritrea, 1936.
[1] http://vikingsword.com/lew/w0224/w0224.html
[2] Fischer, Werner. Zirngibl, Manfred. 1978. “African Weapons”. Page 49, Cat. 65
[3] Spring, Christopher. 1993. “African Arms and Armor”. Page 104
[4] https://www.penn.museum/collections/object/409823
[5] https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/E_Af1935-0307-1
[6] http://www.oriental-arms.co.il/item.php?id=1131
[8] https://africanarms.com/gallery.html?10-hadendoa-35-cm-g
[9] https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2019/coll-riviere-pf1928/lot.180.html?locale=en
[10] https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/rare-sudanese-tribes-of-bedja-dagger-16-c-ca44ae8af4?objectID=155668014&algIndex=undefined&queryID=3e7c67219f26b27e6fe9f7826500d481(Sold $594 November 2020)