The Dane gun was originally a type of long-barreled

flintlock Flintlock is a general term for any firearm that uses a flint-striking lock (firearm), ignition mechanism, the first of which appeared in Western Europe in the early 16th century. The term may also apply to a particular form of the mechanism its ...

musket A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually d ...

imported into

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...

Dano-Norwegian Dano-Norwegian (Danish and no, dansk-norsk) was a koiné/mixed language that evolved among the urban elite in Norwegian cities during the later years of the union between the Kingdoms of Denmark and Norway (1536/1537–1814). It is from this ...

traders prior to the mid-19th century. The term is now used chiefly by Europeans living along the west African coast to generally describe any indigenously made firearm of this type.Dane Gun: Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
/ref> Local names for these firearms vary from language to language, but are generally something that "seem to mean or imply a 'native gun'".; Christopherson, "Some Special West African English Words", 210. They are produced in large numbers by local blacksmiths, and are used mostly for hunting game, replacing traditional weapons such as the bow and spear.

References

Muskets A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually dis ...

Muzzleloaders West African culture Nigerian culture Danish overseas colonies African weapons Firearms of Denmark Firearms of Norway Military of the Ashanti Empire Military history of Denmark Military history of Norway Military history of Ghana {{firearm-stub

See also

References