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Arrow
Arrow
Image © Worcester Art Museum, all rights reserved.

Arrow

Dateearly 1900s
Mediumiron and wood
Dimensions46 cm (18 1/8 in.), less than 1 oz (weight)
ClassificationsArms and Armor
Credit LineThe John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection
Object number2014.392.1
DescriptionFirst of 4 short arrows, each with light wooden shaft without nock, having traces of 2 flights perhaps made from leaves. All have very small, socketed iron heads. This one is flat & leaf-shaped, the faces cut with axial pair of curving lines; end of shaft is carved with 2 low bands.
Label TextArchery was one of several hunting methods employed by Central African hunter-gatherer communities. These iron-tipped arrows were probably used for hunting ground-based animals, rather than tree-dwelling ones. Iron was valuable, and arrows shot into trees would have been more difficult to recover.ProvenanceCollection transfer from Higgins Armory, January 2014.
On View
Not on view
Arrow
Congo Region, Central African
early 1900s
Arrow
Congo Region, Central African
early 1900s
Arrow
Congo Region, Central African
early 1900s
Reference Image - Not for Reproduction
Congo Region, Central African
late 1800s-early 1900s
Conservation Status: After Treatment
Congo Region, Central African
late 1800s
Ngulu (ceremonial sword)
Congo Region, Central African
early 1900s
Reference Image - Not for Reproduction
Congo Region, Central African
early 1900s
Sheath for Short Sword
Congo Region, Central African
early 1900s
Mambeli (short sword)
Congo Region, Central African
early 1900s
Dagger
Congo Region, Central African
early 1900s
Kondo (sickle-sword)
Congo Region, Central African
late 1800s–early 1900s
Musele ("bird-headed" ceremonial knife)
Congo Region, Central African
late 1800s or early 1900s