Ring Axe

Iron knives, swords, and other weapons are more than armaments; they are powerful symbols of prestige and authority. Many weapons are intricately adorned with abstract geometric patterns, figurative elements, western-made objects, and copper accents, all of which are intended to increase the status of the object's owner. In addition to the functional and ceremonial aspects of African weaponry, iron blades were excellent trade items that could function as currency.  Dogon cosmology, based upon the worship of ancestral figures, manifests itself in the axe. Used during ritual ceremonies, this ring-bladed axe is crowned with a small figurative carving of an ancestor.