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1966.1.156.1

Straight bladed sword [.1] with leather bound hilt and leather sheath [.2] with attached leather belt.

1966.1.156.1

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Collection type
Object
Description
Straight bladed sword [.1] with leather bound hilt and leather sheath [.2] with attached leather belt.
Long description
Straight bladed sword [.1] with leather bound hilt and leather sheath [.2] with attached leather belt. The blade is made of iron or steel and has a central rib on both surfaces. The belt is attached through a hole in the front of the sheath. The sheath has a ring-shaped iron chape. [SM 03/09/2007] Sword and scabbard typically Maasai, and still used today. Local names for sword is Sime (Swahili) Olalem (Maa) Local names for sheath is Ala (Swahili) Enchashur (Maa). The sword is culturally symbolic of manhood and an important part of a man’s outfit. A man is not completely dressed without his sword, as the Maasai feel they must be on guard all the time and ready to fight. When a visitor comes to your home, you take your sword down and put it by the bed, thereby inviting him to stay with the family. Most importantly, if you need something, you leave your sword in someone’s home and they must give you a cow, in this way it can be used by the poor [ThW [Living Cultures Project] 17/3/2021]
Cultural groups
Maasai
Nandi
Person
Field collector Unknown Collector
PRM source Ipswich Museum
PRM source Patricia Margaret Maclaren Butler
Date / Period
Date made: Before 1940
Date collected
By 1940
Acquisition information
Purchased: 1966
Materials and processes
Material Animal Leather Skin, Material String, Material Iron Metal, Material Steel Metal, Process Forged (Metal), Process Covered, Process Stitched, Process Bound, Process Perforated, Process Knotted
Dimensions
Length: max 578 mm sword, Length: max 595 mm sheath
Object numbers
Accession number: 1966.1.156.1 Accession number: 1966.1.156.2 Other numbers: R.1940.4 R1945-4B
Research and responses

'Sword and scabbard typically Maasai, and still used today. Local names for sword is Sime (Swahili) Olalem (Maa) Local names for sheath is Ala (Swahili) Enchashur (Maa). The sword is culturally symbolic of manhood and an important part of a man’s outfit. A man is not completely dressed without his sword, as the Maasai feel they must be on guard all the time and ready to fight. When a visitor comes to your home, you take your sword down and put it by the bed, thereby inviting him to stay with the family. Most importantly, if you need something, you leave your sword in someone’s home and they must give you a cow, in this way it can be used by the poor.'

The information used to describe this object has been reviewed through a process of consultation with Maasai representatives and community elders as part of The Maasai Living Cultures Project. Living Cultures started in 2017 and is a partnership between Maasai representatives from Tanzania and Kenya, the Pitt Rivers Museum and InsightShare, an Oxford-based NGO. The project is working to represent the history and narratives behind artefacts held in museum collections. Over the course of three years (2017, 2018, 2020) Maasai delegates have visited the museum to discuss how their culture is represented and how the Museum speaks about Maasai communities in its displays, databases, and education programmes.  [ThW [Living Cultures Project] 16/3/2021]

Search terms: Weapon, Sword, Sheath, Belt

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