Indiana University Indiana University IU

Culture Kwoma
Title Dagger
Date Before 1964
Medium Human bone and cowrie shell
Dimensions Object: 13 1/4 × 1 7/8 × 2 1/8 in. (33.7 × 4.8 × 5.4 cm)
Overall (includes mount): 13 13/16 × 2 1/4 × 2 3/4 in. (35.1 × 5.7 × 7 cm)
Credit Line Raymond and Laura Wielgus Collection, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University
Accession Number 66.72

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About this Work

Kwoma men often carved daggers from human bone. As part of Kwoma funerary rites, a son inherited his father's femur, which he might then make into a dagger, sometimes adding supernaturally charged materials in the back, which were believed to increase its effectiveness. The cowrie shells inserted near the top enhance its appearance but also would have increased its prestige value.


Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

 

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Cite this Page
"Dagger | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=66.72