An interesting group of Sudanese Fighting Sticks

An interesting group of fighting sticks from Ethiopia or the Sudan. Stick fighting was a ritualised way or settling disputes in many African tribes and further afield around the world, the Nilotic groups were especially keen on it and it was revered almost as a form of martial arts. Almost identical sticks can be seen the finds from Tutankhamuns tomb illustrating the long ancestry of this ceremonial fighting form. Elders and stick fighters of high reputation decorated the head of their stick with inlay and hammered in nails and studs, as seen in some of the examples here. Stick fighting is today virtually non-existant and sticks of this type are no longer used to any great degree. Longest piece is 135 cms approximately. Mogens B. Christiansens collection. africa