African Elephant Spearhead and Weapons 1900's

The long spearhead was used by village people when they went on an elephant hunt in the Central African Republic. Hunters would sneak under an elephant's belly, thrust the spear upward, and let the animal bleed to death. Not for the faint of heart. The spearhead has a sharp tip, wide flange, and decorative designs down the middle, and light rust. It measures 23 3/8 in. x 4 1/4 in. wide.

The two protection clubs from the CAR are shaped like axes, but are made from heavy dense wood. A note on one reads "Club for protection made at the initiation in the bush". There are small decorative shields and geometric patterns incised on the clubheads. The largest one is 25 1/4 in. long x 7 1/2 in. across and 1 in. thick. The smaller one is 23 3/4 in. long and 3/4 in. thick. One piece has a chip at the top.

The curved metal piece comes from the CAR and was worn by the village chief when he went hunting or out in battle, He slung the curved part over his shoulder would throw it at an animal if the animal was too far away, and used it to hack the animal when it came closer. The metal came from car parts that were scavenged and melted down by a village smithy. This is how people lived when they didn't have a lot of money. The piece measures 26 3/4 in. along the curve. All from the Dale Baker collection.