Dogon Flintlock Guns
A Dogon hunter’s rifle with amulets, whistle, agate beads, coins, indigo cloth, Koporopen, Mali
A Dogon hunter’s gear bag with amulets, whistle, fire starter, and various tools, and a Dogon flint lock pistol, Koporopen, Mali
A Dogon hunter’s protection tunic, Woven mud dyed cotton, leather protective amulets with various materials, Koporopen, Mali
This old flintlock pistol came from the Dogon village where I lived in Mali—collected in 2002. It is unique because I believe the barrel and some other parts are much older, surviving (French?) colonial era pieces. The carved wood stock/ handle and some other forged steel parts and screws are Dogon made. The barrel has beveled planes that transition to a round end. It is also engraved with barely readable hallmarks, numbers, and a fern branch pattern.
This is a unique Dogon toy gun. Made from carved wood and steel with a string strap. The steel pin would have been attached at its end to the trigger by a rubber band. The barrel would be filled with broken off match ends and when the rubber band is hit, it releases the pin that is partly pulled out of the barrel causing it to slide back in on the barrel's inner edge creating friction and spark to ignite the match ends, making the "pop" sound. Collected in Koporopen, Mali