LOOK
WHEN YOU
The Adz
When you look at this adz, you see a versatile implement that denotes human greed.
An adz is a unique tool that has many different functions. The adz can be used for agriculture, woodcutting, tree felling, and religious purposes. The usefulness of the adz led to its rise in popularity within many cultures around the world.
Each culture that used this tool also gave new meanings to it, such as the Egyptians who used an adz in a ritual called The Opening of the Mouth. In both Hawaii and New Guinea, the metal adz signified the advent of European colonizers. The traditional stone adzes slowly were replaced by metal ones. Using metal as a symbol for European colonizers, the iron adz from the Congo connects with its history of colonization. The adz from the Congo dates back to the Belgian Congo in the early 1920s. During this time period, King Leopold II of Belgium terrorized the people of the Congo and exploited the land for its resources. The adz from the museum thus signifies the horrific colonization of the Congo by the Kingdom of Belgium and the greed that accompanied their policies.
Adz blade from Oceania exhibit in museum
Adz from Congo exhibit in museum
By Thomas Bartlett