New Guinea Cassowary Bone Dagger

A beautiful Papuan combat weapon made of cassowary leg bone and chiselled with intricate tribal patterns. This dagger is 16" long, considered the longest between the daggers originating in the Middle Sepik plains. Carvings accentuated with pigments.

You can find similar cassowary daggers in a few museums around the world. The MET Museum has a few in their collection. Here's a bit of insight from the MET Museum website on how these daggers were used in battle (https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/309918?pos=4): "Warriors in the Sepik region formerly employed a variety of weapons. Most, such as spears, were intended to strike the enemy from a distance, but men also carried daggers for use in close combat. With blunt edges and sharp tips, daggers were exclusively stabbing weapons, often used to kill an enemy incapacitated by spears or arrows or, at times, in more stealthy acts of assassination."

The cassowary is a large, flightless bird closely related to the emu. It is often called the world's most dangerous bird. While cassowaries are not considered dangerous, they can cause serious injuries. They live in Australia and are considered an endangered species.

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