Ceremonial Axe

(UEM19218) Ceremonial axes were prestige items, rather than functional tools. Intricate abstract engravings decorate the iron blade. The lower part of the wooden handle is wrapped in copper strips, while the upper part shows three human-like faces or masks, in between a pattern made of driven brass nails. Ceremonial axes were used by chiefs, diviners, and spiritual leaders to symbolise authority and social rank during ceremonies and important rituals. Elaborate versions of axes were made as royal sceptres and potent symbols of artisanal and aesthetic achievement.

Material: Iron, wood, brass, and copper
Region: Kasaï Oriental, Chokwe
Height: 45 cm, width: 8,8 cm, axe blade: 12 cm.
Arrival: Donation from Lieutenant Finn Kjelstrup to the Ethnographic Museum, 1911.