Africa, the South Pacific, and the Americas

man's sword with sheath
man's sword with sheath
Culture or people Tuareg people
Creation date 1950-1970
Materials steel, leather, cloth
Dimensions 37 7/8 x 10 3/4 x 2 in.
Credit line James V. Sweetser Fund
Accession number 1995.113A-B
Gallery Label

Almost all Tuareg men would own a sword such as this example, which is made of steel, with decorations of copper, brass and silver. These weapons are one of the few art forms made by male blacksmiths. Only the leather components are made by women. The copper and brass decorations are significant because the combination of those two metals is believed to counteract evil.


Descriptive tags added by visitors:

, Berber, Islamic Cultures, knife, Nomads of the Sahara, Northern Africa, sheath, sword, Touareg, Tuareg, weapon, Western Africa, wood
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