The
Tumi is a sacrificial ceremonial
axe distinctly characterized by a semi-circular blade, made of either bronze, copper, gold-alloy, wood, or silver alloy. It is usually made of one piece and used by some
Inca and
Pre-Inca cultures in the
Peruvian Coastal Region. In Andean mythology, the
Moche,
Chimu and Incas were descendants of the Sun, which had to be worshiped annually with an extravagant celebration. The festival took place at the end of the
potato and
maize harvest in order to thank the Sun for the abundant crops or to ask for better crops during the next season. During this important religious ceremony, the High Priest would sacrifice a completely black or white
llama. Using a tumi, he would open the animal's chest and with his hands pull out its throbbing heart, lungs and viscera, so that observing those elements he could foretell the future. Later, the animal and its parts were completely incinerated.