LEFT #TCS:

• Southern Sara: Ngama / Madjingay / Daye / Ngambaye, Chad

• Known as kuur,kul,orkeul

• Iron

• Early 20th century

• 14 x 4.75 in. / 35.5 x 12 cm

• Height on custom display stand: 15.5 in. / 39 cm

The Ngam (Ngama) are a subgroup of the Sara, who live in Southern Chad and the Central African Republic. Even though the Ngam appear to be the only producers of these currencies, they were used by many Sara groups including the Daye, Kaba, Madjingay, Nar, and Ngambaye, and often traded quite far from their place of production.

Because they were derived from the sacred form of the Miya-bo throwing knife, whenever these currencies were exchanged, condensed stories of cosmology and mystical practice informed their value, connotations, and transformative efficacies, as well as expectations of what such transactions would afford. (Elsen, De fer et de fierté, 2003; Roberts, Joyce, and Berns, Striking Iron: The Art of African Blacksmiths, 2019; Zirngibl & Kubetz, Panga Na Visu, 2009).

$650

RIGHT #TCC:

• Northeastern Nigeria: Bata, Chamba, Mumuye, Tiv, or Vere

• Iron

• Early 20th century

• 24.5 x 4 in. / 62 x 10 cm

• Height on custom display stand: 26 in. / 66 cm

This is a mysterious object from northeastern Nigeria. In various sources, it has been described as being a bow tensioning knife, a close combat weapon used by archers, and a symbolic object used during festivals. It has been attributed to many different cultures from the region: Bata, Chamba, Mumuye, Tiv, and Vere (Zirngibl & Kubetz, Panga Na Visu, 2009). 

$850

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