whetstone; tadeft n egenna

Whetstone.

'Tadeft n egenna' in Tamahaq, meaning 'the axe of the rain (or the thunder)', as, according to Nicolaisen (1963, p 256), 'all Tuareg believe that they have fallen from the sky during heavy storms'. Item number 46 on Jeremy Keenan's item list. Keenan acquired this object from Musa of the Kel Hirafok people. Price paid: 10 dinar. Keenan refers to fig 199 in Nicolaisen's 'Ecology and culture of the pastoral Tuareg, with particular reference to the Tuareg of Ahaggar and Ayr' (Nicolaisen, 1963, p 257, fig 199), for a similar object. Fig 199 is a 'Neolithic stone axe known to the Tuareg as "tadeft n egenna". Used as whetstone for iron knives'.

Collection Information

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