RARE SHAPED CHENKOM or GALMA - IRON TERRACING HOE from NIGERIA W. AFRICA #5

Description

RARE SHAPED CHENKOM or GALMA -  IRON  TERRACING HOE - CURRENCY ?
from NIGERIA  W. AFRICA  #5
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his is a TRIBALLY SMELTED AND FORGED IRON hoe/currency artifact over 100 years old
Generally referred to as "Afo hoe currencies", “chenkoms” or "galmas", these rare and enigmatic objects are the largest and heaviest tribally smelted and forged iron artifacts in the world. Found only in Nigeria, and primarily used by the Afo and Ngas people as traditional currency for bride price or land transactions/disputes, these huge, mysterious iron masses seemed to disappear from the Nigerian cultural milieu as suddenly as they appeared. Accurate dating of these is somewhat difficult, as relevant literature is scarce - the consensus seems to be the 18th to early 20th century, or earlier for authentic charcoal iron examples. Given the amount of iron ore, charcoal, and hard work involved in production, it would appear they were made when the labor-intensive process of iron making was at its apogee in both efficiency and proficiency in West Africa . This was before massive deforestation resulted from charcoal production (to feed the insatiable iron furnaces), and local iron smelting became unnecessary due to the availability of cheap iron and scrap steel from colonial sources.
This smaller but elegant example of the African blacksmith's art weighs 13 lbs. and stands 25 1/4" high and 18 1/2" wide
from tab to tab
. *The question is whether it is a currency piece or a barely used terracing hoe. The tabs are the smaller variant usually seen on actual utilitarian hoes, but these hoes are almost always found damaged to some extent along the blade's bottom edge. This one looks a bit worn along the bottom edge, but no visible chips out of the metal. The spike also shows a very homogeneous weld, needed for great strength. In my opinion it is a larger and rarer, very well preserved terracing hoe; not primarily a currency.
In EXCELLENT condition. Heavy patina and protective oxide covers the piece. The raw, cratered iron surface is a striking landscape of rippling topography, the result of the primitive smelting and forging process. Pics show front and back, surface and
spike
forge weld detail in different lighting conditions to more fully accentuate these features.
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