Mursi Knife

Omo valley, Ethiopia.
XXᵉ siècle - Collecte de terrain

Collection Jean-Pierre Dutilleux
Exhibit: Le Monde Premier

A raw presence, at the heart of the Omo

This Mursi knife embodies an essential form of the material culture of Ethiopia's Omo Valley - a territory long removed from outside influences, where everyday objects retain a rare formal intensity.

Forged from densely structured metal, the short, broad blade evokes a versatile use, both utilitarian and identity-building. It is preserved here in its original scabbard of patinated leather, held in place by a system of ancient vegetable ligatures, whose controlled irregularity bears witness to entirely handcrafted production.

The handle, deliberately simple and functional, reinforces the impression of an object designed to be carried, handled, lived with - far from any decorative production or intended for the outside eye.

An object of status, between use and identity

Among the Mursi, objects carried by men play a full part in the construction of social identity. Weapons, sticks and ornaments are not just about function: they embody a presence, a position, a way of being in the world.

This knife is part of this logic - on the border between everyday gesture and personal sign.

Collection Dutilleux - Regard de terrain

From the collection of Jean-Pierre Dutilleux and collected in situ during his field missions, this object benefits from a direct ethnographic context, now increasingly rare on the market.

It was presented as part of the "Le Monde Premier" exhibition, devoted to primitive cultures and their material expression, reinforcing its documentary dimension and its legitimacy as a collection.

A living form

More than a simple object, this Mursi knife reads like a trace: that of a use, a gesture, of a culture still deeply rooted in its practices.

A discreet, yet authentic presence - intended for a discerning eye.