Dagger with iguana skin sheath

A dagger and sheath from Kordofan in Northern Sudan, most likely made and collected during the late 19th Century. Records give the sheath as being covered in iguana skin.

The dagger is of traditional form and certainly looks lethal, though it was likely made for show or decoration rather than practical use – the blade is flat and has no spine thickening to stop it bending in combat. Some indigenous peoples produced items of this nature for the burgeoning 19th-century tourist market, so this may be a possibility.