Leopard Society Claw

This item is used like a knuckle duster, or fighting claw. Such devices have been thought to have been used by members of the so-called Human Leopards, or Leopard society, as a means of blaming the deaths of their victims on leopards. It consists of five metal claws attached to a bar. This was originally part of the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum collection. It was acquired by the British Museum in 1954.

Further Information

• Type: Religious/ritual equipment, charms
• Object: Leopard Society Claw
• Materials: Metal
• Culture Group: Other
• Dimensions: 70mm [L] x 50mm [W] x 30mm [C]
• Production Date: Pre 1954
• Associated Places: Unknown
• Associated People: Wellcome Historical Medical Museum
• Museum: British Museum
• Accession Number: BM:Af.1954.23.3026

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