Cleveland Museum of Art

Fragment of a Spear (eng'erempe or eremet)

Date

1900s

Medium

iron and wood

Culture

Africa, Eastern Africa, Kenya, Masaai style, unknown maker

Department

African Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Masaai men of different ages use different styles of weapons. Though this example is incomplete, the long, flat blade indicates that it once belonged to a man whose age group was called moran (junior warrior). Held at the middle by the wood shaft, the weighty spear was balanced by a now-missing butt end, essentially a slender metal spike. These weapons were practical, and were often used by moran in lion hunting. This spear was used along with a shield.

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