Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Songye Culture, ca. early 20th century CE. A large, beautiful axe with a distinctive, interesting design. It has a wood handle composed of two halves held together by copper rivets, with an embedded, elongated, openwork iron blade with three central ridges, each with multiple faces cast down their lengths; these faces are human but highly stylized. The Songye people live in the central eastern part of the modern-day Democratic Republic of Congo, in the region known as the African Great Lakes. Their metalwork, traditionally done by Songye men, was held in high prestige and traded extensively with their neighbors throughout the 20th century. An axe like this was likely never used as a weapon, but would have been ceremonial. Size: 15.2" W x 16.75" H (38.6 cm x 42.5 cm) Provenance: private Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA collection All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #127305