Steal Spear or Javelin?

[Downtown1]

My brother purchased a 3 piece steel spear/javelin from a flea market the other day and I am having trouble identifying its age and origin. It is constructed of 3 pieces. A steel blade/head, a wooden center piece, and a steel butt spike. Assembled length is approximately 7ft long. It also appears to be hand hammered and the ends have been rolled to create a cone coupling for assembly. I can also tell that at some point, someone used a belt grinder to attempt to sharpen the blade (I do not think the spear was created with a belt grinder, but rather someone later in time decided it might be fun to try and sharpen it). Any information would be greatly appreciated, thanks, Downtown1!

 

[hammered]

It looks like a Maasai Spear. See the link

http://www.rrtraders.com/weapons/maasai-spears-3c.htm


After a bit more research it looks like a Maasai/Masai Lion Spear

http://www.africabydesignimports.com/malispwibl63.html

hammered

 

[trixie charger]

Lion spear!!!!

 

[Downtown1]

Nice work, thank you guys!

 

[DigginThePast]

Downtown1 - I re-sized your pics for easier viewing. Neat piece.

And welcome to T-Net.

 

[Downtown1]

Great, thank you!

 

[Red James Cash]

If I'm thinking right and about the right tribe.For a little more info for you. Blade length had to do with tribal ranking. I may be wrong about the tribe though and have info mixed up in my head. I read to much for my own good

 

[batcap]

I have one of these. My mom bought it for me as a souvenir of visiting "ReptileLand" somewhere in PA about 40 years ago. I had it outside one day playing with it - trying to keep if from falling apart - when this old guy (in my 12 yr old opinion) told me that it was a real African spear. He mentioned the Masai tribe also if I recall correctly. He told me that they are called "trade spears" and they were made for tourists and for export. Back then, Africa was all "Jungle Jim" and Tarzan in my mind. Africans were "tribesmen" or "natives". These days, about half of the nurses where I work are African immigrants.