Artifacts - South America - stone, pottery, gold, textiles, beads |
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South American Pre-Columbian Copper Tumi ( tumi / lambayeque ) ceremonial knife / axe / funerary icon Classic Period circa 800 to 1400 AD SOLD
dimensions: approx 4 1/4" wide at widest point x 11" long x 1/16" thick Simple copper Tumi with no visible carving or decoration. A nice example of a classic form.
Condition: Some distress from age and burial. Tips are bent but intact. Traces of fabric applique on back. Nice oxidized green patina. |
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"The
Tumi is a sacrificial ceremonial knife
distinctly characterised by a semi-circular blade, made of either bronze,
copper, gold-alloy, or silver alloy used by some Inca
and pre-Inca cultures in the Peruvian
Coastal Region. In Andean mythology, the Moche,
Chimu and Incas
were descendants of the Sun, and had to be worshipped annually with an
extravagant celebrations. The festival took place at the end of the potato
and maize harvest
in order to thank the Sun for the abundant crops or to ask for better crops
during the next season. During this important religious ceremony, the High
Priest would sacrifice a completely black or white llama.
Using a tumi, he would open the animal's chest and with his hands pull out its
throbbing heart, lungs and viscera, so that observing those elements he could
foretell the future. Later, the animal and its parts were completely
incinerated.
Other Andean cultures have used the tumi for the neurological procedure of skull trepanation. Many of these operations were carefully performed, suggesting that the surgery was done for the relief of some body disturbance other than that associated with injury, perhaps an organic or mental condition. In 2006 archaeologists announced that they had unearthed 22 graves in northern Peru containing pre-Inca artifacts. Among the artifacts were the first tumi ever discovered by archaeologists. All previous examples had been recovered from grave looters. In Peru, to hang a tumi on a wall means good luck. The tumi is the national symbol of Peru and has become a symbol used in the Peruvian tourism publicity." definition courtesy of Wikipedia! |
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