dagger

Nubian arm dagger, or loi-bo, which is worn on the left arm just below the shoulder. This example has a bone/ivory hilt, turned from a single piece of material, with a disc pommel, and an iron pommel nut which is decorated with a flower motif. The hilt has three groups of three- band decoration with two more groups of three on the pommel section. The pommel disc is damaged with a third of the disc missing. The blade double-edged, tapered to a point with only a slight curve, and has a flattened diamond shaped cross section with a pronounced medial ridge along its length. The blade has some incised decoration consisting of a simple line and curve pattern and some script. The pattern is repeated on both sides although the script differs. The scabbard is of red leather and crocodile skin. The red leather has been formed into three ridges and on one side and is decorated with geometric patterns. The scabbard is missing the woven loop which would be used to attach the knife to the arm. The Knife was given to the museum by Lt. Col. A. J. Hadow in 1962. Hadow collected in Sudan between 1905-1915.