Flint Lock Pistol

• Title Flint Lock Pistol
• Category Utilitarian
• Medium Wood and Flint Locks
• Medium Weapon
• Dimensions 8.5"h x 19.5"w x 2"d
• Notes The pistol has a wider handle with a more rectangular trigger box as compared to other pistols from this time and area. But, aside from these discrepancies, it is comparable to other flint lock pistols of the time. The pistol was made during the Nigerian Civil War by a village blacksmith in Western Nigeria. It was never used in the war itself, never being fired after its purchase from the blacksmith. On the trigger plate inscribed are the words “Nigeria One” which indicates the Western Nigerians desire to keep the states united as a single nation. After gaining independence from Great Britain, due to regional and tribal differences, Nigeria faced a civil war*. The Igbos were massacred after an attempted military coup against the federal government failed. In fear of genocide, the Igbos broke away from Nigeria, starting the independent state of Biafra. This pistol describes a hope for reconciliation, which was achieved in 1970 when Biafra ceased to be an independent state. *Franklin Parker, “Biafra and the Nigerian Civil War.” (Negro History Bulletin, vol.32, no. 8, 1969), 7-11.
• Artist
• Credit Clyde and Annie Matters Collection
• Location Library Art Storage G6
• Accession Number 1994.0030
• Status Available Request this art work
  
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