Acholi axe
Other views of this artifact:
Accession Number:
1966.1.272
Country:
Uganda? , Sudan?
Region:
[Southern Sudan?] Panikware?
Cultural Group:
Acholi
Date Made:
By 1st June 1912
Materials:
Iron Metal , Wood Plant
Process:
Carved , Decorated , Incised Stained Polished , Socketed , Forged (Metal) , Hammered Wedged
Dimensions:
Total L = 835, axehad L = 173, max W = 39, th = 8.2, socket diam = 36.8, handle diam = 20.2 mm [RTS 1/7/2005].
Weight:
519.4 g
Other Owners:
Part of the collection of Frederick John Jackson, then becoming part of the Ipswich Museum collections, before being sold to the PRM in 1966 [RTS 30/6/2005].
Field Collector:
?Frederick John Jackson
PRM Source:
Ipswich Museum per Patricia M. Butler
Acquired:
Purchased 1966
Collected Date:
1st June 1912
Description:
Axe consisting of a narrow iron axehead fitted onto a wooden handle.
The axehead has been made from a single piece of iron, and has a narrow body.
This consists of a short square butt with rectangular section that projects from the back of the handle, an oval socket, and then a rectangular blade that curves down slightly towards the convex cutting edge, itself bevelled on both sides.
The blade has a raised ridge running down the centre of both sides, giving it a lozenge-shaped section.
It is currently a metallic gray colour (Pantone 422C).
The axehead has been hafted onto a wooden handle, resting just below the top and held firm by a couple of wooden wedges within the socket on either side, and five iron bars or nails, whose rectangular sectioned ends are visible at the socket base.
The handle is made from a brown coloured wood (Pantone 730C), with the top of the handle shaved to create a point, and a slightly rounded butt.
This has a round section and smoothed surface throughout.
The butt end has been covered with a thick band of incised decoration, that may also help to roughen the grip area.
This consists of 3 parallel lines around the circumference at the top and bottom of the design, with the area between being divided into 2 sections by pairs of vertical lines.
One section has been filled with incised crosshatching, while the other contains 2 v-shaped crosshatched chevron bands meeting a pair of similarly filled ^-shaped bands.
The object is complete, but has some cracks and cut marks on the handle.
It has a weight of 519.4 grams, and a total length of 835 mm.
The axehead is 173 mm long, with a maximum width of 39 mm, thickness of 8.2 mm and socket diameter of 36.8 mm, while the handle has a diameter of 20.2 mm.
This axe was obtained at 'Panikwar' on the 1st of June 1912, probably by Frederick John Jackson, who was serving as Governor of Uganda at the time. The exact location of 'Panikwar' has not been determined, but Charles Seligman records visiting the 'Panikware resthouse' in 1922, in the modern administrative district of Eastern Equatoria, some 12 miles from an Acholi village called Magwe; the two places may well be the same (information courtesy of Fran Larson, based on the unpublished diaries of C.G. and B.Z. Seligman in the Archives of the London School of Economics, Seligman manuscripts, files 1/4/1 and 1/4/6). The axe became part of the collection of Frederick John Jackson, went to the Ipswich Museum, and then was sold on to the Pitt Rivers Museum in 1966.
For other Acholi axes, see 1966.1.273, and 1922.48.1; the latter is a more elaborate form that was used in dances.
Rachael Sparks 14/9/2005.
This axe was obtained at 'Panikwar' on the 1st of June 1912, probably by Frederick John Jackson, who was serving as Governor of Uganda at the time. The exact location of 'Panikwar' has not been determined, but Charles Seligman records visiting the 'Panikware resthouse' in 1922, in the modern administrative district of Eastern Equatoria, some 12 miles from an Acholi village called Magwe; the two places may well be the same (information courtesy of Fran Larson, based on the unpublished diaries of C.G. and B.Z. Seligman in the Archives of the London School of Economics, Seligman manuscripts, files 1/4/1 and 1/4/6). The axe became part of the collection of Frederick John Jackson, went to the Ipswich Museum, and then was sold on to the Pitt Rivers Museum in 1966.
For other Acholi axes, see 1966.1.273, and 1922.48.1; the latter is a more elaborate form that was used in dances.
Rachael Sparks 14/9/2005.
Primary Documentation:
Accession Book Entry [XX]
[facing p.
1] - Collection 1966.1 is Ipswich ethnography; see special volumes XVA and XVB [JC 27/6/2001].
Accession Book Entry [Ipswich ethnography XVA] [p. 2] 1966.1[1-] P[urchased] Ethnological Collection; IPSWICH MUSEUM per Miss PATRICIA M. BUTLER, M.A. F.M.A. Curator. [p. 79] 1966.1.272 E. AFRICA, UGANDA, ACHOLI TRIBE. Axe with socketted [sic] iron head which is comparatively long and narrow. The blade has a square projection at the back. The long wooden shaft is decorated with incised chequer board lines at grip. Sir Frederick Jackson Collection. Overall length 83 cm. Length of blade from edge to projection 17.4 cm. Max. blade width 4 cm.
Card Catalogue Entry - There is no further information on the catalogue card [RTS 30/1/2004].
Pitt Rivers Museum label - AFRICA, Uganda. ACHOLI tribe. Axe with iron head. From Panikwar. F.J. Jackson collection, Purch. IPSWICH MUSEUM. 1966.1.272 [plastic coated label, tied to object; RTS 1/7/2005].
Written on object - Acholi axe fr. Panikwar 1/6/12 Jackson colln. [ink]; 1966.1.272 E. AFRICA [ink, in different hand; RTS 30/6/2005].
Related Documents File - This item appears on a list headed 'Ethnography speciments transferred from the Ipswich Museum to the Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford 1965', as '[1 of] two axes, B.E. Africa', but the original Ipswich accession number is not given [RTS 14/1/2004].
Accession Book Entry [Ipswich ethnography XVA] [p. 2] 1966.1[1-] P[urchased] Ethnological Collection; IPSWICH MUSEUM per Miss PATRICIA M. BUTLER, M.A. F.M.A. Curator. [p. 79] 1966.1.272 E. AFRICA, UGANDA, ACHOLI TRIBE. Axe with socketted [sic] iron head which is comparatively long and narrow. The blade has a square projection at the back. The long wooden shaft is decorated with incised chequer board lines at grip. Sir Frederick Jackson Collection. Overall length 83 cm. Length of blade from edge to projection 17.4 cm. Max. blade width 4 cm.
Card Catalogue Entry - There is no further information on the catalogue card [RTS 30/1/2004].
Pitt Rivers Museum label - AFRICA, Uganda. ACHOLI tribe. Axe with iron head. From Panikwar. F.J. Jackson collection, Purch. IPSWICH MUSEUM. 1966.1.272 [plastic coated label, tied to object; RTS 1/7/2005].
Written on object - Acholi axe fr. Panikwar 1/6/12 Jackson colln. [ink]; 1966.1.272 E. AFRICA [ink, in different hand; RTS 30/6/2005].
Related Documents File - This item appears on a list headed 'Ethnography speciments transferred from the Ipswich Museum to the Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford 1965', as '[1 of] two axes, B.E. Africa', but the original Ipswich accession number is not given [RTS 14/1/2004].
