This exceptional and well-balanced club is from the Dinka People of South Sudan. It dates to the 19^th century and possibly to the mid 19^th century.

It is carved from a single piece of dense hardwood. It has a superb medium dark and lustrous patina. It is deeply fluted along the main body of the shaft. The grip end is sheafed in leather wrap which has a superb patina commensurate with the rest of the club.

An example is illustrated in Ginzberg (2000, p. 200). Other examples can be found in the Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford.

The Dinka people are an ethnic group inhabiting South Sudan. Largely, they are agri-pastoral people, and are known for their cattle herding. They also grow millet and other grains. Traditionally, their political organisation has been restricted to a number of interlinked clans without any central authority.

The club was acquired in the UK and almost certainly has been in the UK since colonial times. It is unusually fine in terms of the depth and precision of its fluting, the condition of the skin handle cover, and the depth of the patina. It is superior to most or all published examples. Check out the photos below.