Pre-columbian Ceremonial and Weapon Tumi Knives

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Pre-columbian Tumi Knives

Important Note: These images are presented for educational, scholarly, and artistic research purposes. It is presented as a comparative analysis of weapons from various regions of Central America, South America, North America, and the Caribbean, providing a tool for students and collectors alike. However, these artifacts are not presented for sale. While some pieces shown here are in the hands of private art and antiquities dealers - we do not condone the sale of such pieces since many have been obtained through the looting of archaeological sites, or other unlawful means. Buyers should always do business with ethical dealers, and insist on complete legal provinance.

Tumi Knives - South America - Bolivia

Cochabamba Tumi knife - Inca style

Museo Arqueológico de la Universidad de San Simón

Tiwanaku Tumi knife showing cranial cuts at Tiwanaku Museum La Paz

Tumi Knives - South America - Peru

A Typical Utilitarian Tumi Knife with a curved blade and bone or wood handle.
Chimu Culture Weapons
	*Chimu Copper alloy Ceremonial Knife (tumi)*, 10th–15th century - Peru; Chimú Copper; H. 4 1/8 in. (10.5 cm) The Moche people of northern Peru (first–seventh century) were among the first to use copper, often with the addition of arsenic to harden the metal and improve the quality of the cast. Moche metalworkers hammered most of their precious metals—gold and silver—into objects of sheet metal, but many works in copper were cast by the lost-wax technique. The Chimú people, who made this ceremonial knife, inherited the rich cultural and artistic traditions developed by the earlier Moche. Clearly a ritual object, indicated by the delicate, projecting details and attractive silhouette, the knife has a semicircular blade. The flat undulating shaft is embellished with circles in relief; stylized birds project from its sides. At the top is a human head wearing a headdress with mushroom shapes. The detailed facial features—wide staring eyes and open mouth framed by age wrinkles—give the face a startled look. The holes in the earlobes once held ornaments. The object is cast of a copper/arsenic alloy; its surface is now covered with copper corrosion developed over many centuries of burial. Metropolitan Museum
	Chimu Silver Copper alloy Tumi knife - chimu - Period Horizonte East (600-1000 AD) Material: Metal / Binary Alloy / Silver-Copper / Length in mm: 118 Width in mm: 1 Height in mm: 243 Weight grams: 149 Museo Larco
	Chimu Ceremonial Tumi knife with engraved mythical figures - chimu - Period Horizon Early (900-200 BC) Material: Metal / Binary Alloy / Silver-Copper / Length in mm: 103 Width in mm: 1 Height in mm: 95 Weight grams: 85 Museo Larco		Chimu Silver copper alloy Tumi knife with engraved mythical creature - chimu - Period Horizon Early (900-200 BC) Material: Metal / Binary Alloy / Silver-Copper / Length in mm: 77 Width in mm: 1 Height in mm: 70 Weight grams: 30 Museo Larco
	Chimu Gold silver alloy tumi knife with engraved figure Museo Larco		Chimu Gold silver alloy tumi knife with engraved figure Museo Larco
	Chimu Gold silver alloy tumi knife Museo Larco		Chimu Gold silver alloy tumi knife Museo Larco
	Chimu silver alloy tumi knife Museo Larco		Chimu silver alloy tumi knife Museo Larco
	Chimu Copper alloy tumi knife Museo Larco		Chimu silver alloy tumi knife Museo Larco
	Chimu Copper alloy Tumi knife Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino		Chimu Copper alloy tumi knife Museo Larco
	Chimu Copper alloy tumi knife Museo Larco		Chimu Copper Tumi Knives. Pre-Columbian, circa 1100-1400 A.D., framed size is 8-1/4" x 12-1/4" Private Collection
	Chimu Copper alloy tumi knife Museo Larco		Chimu Copper alloy tumi knife Museo Larco
Inca/Inka Culture Weapons
	Inka *Ornamental Knife (Tumi)*, 15th–16th century - Peru; Inka - Tin bronze; H. 6 3/4 in. (17 cm) Metropolitan Museum	The Inka inherited a metalworking tradition that began well over 2,000 years before their rise to power. They brought metalworkers from all over the empire, especially the north coast, to their capital Cuzco, to produce objects in gold, silver, copper, and bronze. Knives, or tumis, were among the most common and widely distributed metal tools produced in Inka times. Typically made of copper or tin bronze, Inka tumis have a long, curved blade at right angles to the handle. The handles could be flat or round, and many have decorated tops. Suspension loops at the top of the shaft suggest they were hung from the belt or necklace. Tumis were used in ritual sacrifice in the Andes for thousands of years and are frequently seen in artworks in the hands of deities and supernaturals about to perform an act of sacrifice. The knives themselves are often embellished with sacrificial scenes at the top or with elements that refer to sacrifice. On this tumi, the top of the handle bears the massive claws of a powerful bird of prey, the bumpy texture of the shaft being reminiscent of the rough skin of the raptor's legs. The eating habits of raptors and vultures give them a natural symbolic connection to sacrifice and the world of the dead. Textile impressions from burial cover most of the blade's surface.
	Inca Tumi Knife Bronze with copper and silver		Inca Copper alloy Tumi knife (possibly an axe) Peabody Museum
	Inca Utilitarian Tumi Knife (broken) Peabody Museum		Inca Utilitarian Tumi Knife Peabody Museum
Moche/Mochica Culture Weapons
	Moche Silver copper alloy tumi knife Museo Larco		Moche Copper tumi knife Museo Larco
	Moche Copper alloy tumi knife Museo Larco		Moche Copper silver alloy Tumi knife Museo Larco
	Moche Copper gold alloy Tumi knife Private Collection
Sican/Lambayeque Culture Weapons
	Tumi Knife - Lambayeque – Sican (700 – 1100 DC.). National Museum Of Peru		Tumi Knife - Lambayeque – Sican (700 – 1100 DC.). Gold Museum Of Peru
	Tumi Knife - Lambayeque – Sican (700 – 1100 DC.). Back & Front Museo Nacional Sicán		Tumi Knife - Lambayeque – Sican (700 – 1100 DC.).
	Sican Tumi knife Museo Nacional Sicán
Vicus Culture Weapons
	Vicus Tumi Knife Peabody Museum

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