Ceremonial axe with breasts
Finely carved axe handles with asymmetrically shaped blades were not meant to be used in battle, but were instead carried by men as accessories at ceremonial occasions. Wielded during harvests, weddings, and chiefly investitures, such artifacts were designed to attract the favorable attention of ancestral spirits. The inclusion of features such as a pair of breasts or a miniature headrest was intended to entice the spirits’ engagement. Headrests offered a conduit for ancestral communication; women’s bodies have been regarded as the source for extending familial lineages.
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