Maasai lion hunting spear head
length: 29 1/2"
My friends used to think I was crazy for wanting to hunt Pennsylvania black
bear in armor with a sword. I thought the mostly naked Maasai dudes who went
after full grown lions with spears such as this were *really* nuts, until I
actually handled this Maasai spear. This baby is thick, heavy and solid. One
might actually be able to poke it into a lion and live to tell the tale, but
don't try this at home, the Maasai were professionals (and there were a lot
more lions back then). Blade is a fullered diamond in cross section, 3/8"
thick at the central ridge. This spear head came from the collection of Sir
J. Austin Evans, a ship's surgeon who travelled all over the world
developing the company medical department for Imperial Oil before settling
down in Ontario, Canada. The spear head dates from ca. 1880 and will make a
fine addition to any African weapons collection. I'm sure you're used to
seeing the thin flimsy spears produced throughout the last 100 years and sold as
"authentic" Maasai hunting spears - one heft of this baby and you will viscerally know the
difference between a real weapon and tourist junk.
blade: 25"
blade width: 1 1/8"
socket: 4 1/2"
7/12/01