Chimú Ceremonial Copper Alloy Knife Tumi

Pre-Columbian Era, Chimú Culture, c. 800-1470 AD, Moche Valley, Trujillo, Peru

This magnificent and historically significant Chimú tumi, crafted from arsenical copper, embodies the profound ritual and medical traditions of ancient Peru. Featuring a rectangular to the slender shaft and a broad ovoid blade, this ceremonial knife was an essential tool in both sacred rites and practical applications. Often wrapped within a mummy bundle, the tumi was believed to serve its owner in the afterlife as a votive instrument.

The tumi played a central role in the ceremonial practices of multiple pre-Columbian cultures along the Peruvian coast, including the Moche, Sicán, Chimú, and Inca civilizations. In Moche iconography, the tumi is depicted in sacrificial rituals, where it was used to cut the throats of offerings. Among the Inca, these distinctive crescent-bladed knives were crucial to harvest celebrations, such as Inti Raymi’rata, where the High Priest would sacrifice a llama to divine the future through its entrails—an act of profound religious significance.

Beyond ritual use, the tumi was also a critical instrument in ancient Andean medicine, particularly in cranial trephination, an advanced form of surgery where a hole was drilled or scraped into the skull to alleviate head trauma, fractures, or psychological ailments. While ceremonial tumis were crafted from precious metals like gold, silver, and bronze, medical variations featured smaller, more practical blades suited for precision procedures.

This remarkable tumi is not just an artifact but a tangible link to the spiritual, ceremonial, and scientific achievements of the Chimú and their predecessors. A rare and invaluable piece, it offers collectors and historians alike a glimpse into the ingenuity and deeply rooted traditions of ancient Andean civilization.

Good condition. Wear commensurate with age and use. Chip. Heavy green surface patina and encrusted mineral deposits. Light remains of ancient textile fragments and impressions on the surface. Size approx. 13,7cm x 3,3cm (blade 13,5cm) x 0,4cm.

Provenance: Former collection of the Sune Hederström (1883-1959). Collected during his travels in South America in 1929-31. During the same time introduced in Sweden. Then inherited within the family.