Manding sword

length: 24 5/8"
blade: 19 3/4"
blade width: 1 3/16"
grip: 5"
weight: 11 oz

Classic Manding sword from Western Sudanic Africa. Hand hammered iron blade may be older than the grip and sheath, which are in the traditional style. Worn slung over the left shoulder. The reasoning behind the wide flat tail of the sheath is still under debate amongst scholars of ethnographic weaponry.