Beja - Beni Amer or Hadendoa Knife in Sheath - Eastern Sudan/Eritrea/Ethiopia - SOLD#5

This was collected by Paul Koprowski in the early 1960's in East Africa, when he was stationed there in the Peace Corps.

They call this curved dagger Hingar or Khinjar. The dagger has a blade made of iron; the hilt is made of ebony wood.
The Beja consist of 5 tribes, the Hadendoa and Beni Amer being the major sub-groups. They are descendants of the ancient Egyptians who were expelled from Egypt by the invading Nubians in the 8th century BC.
They are split between the countries of Sudan, Eritrea and north west Ethiopia.
Double edged curved steel blade and tooled embossed leather sheath, with the beautiful X shaped hilt which was designed to protect the hand from harm. A major status symbol.
It has much age to it, and we spent a lot of time cleaning the blade and rejuvenating the leather.

Length: 13 1/4"