Throwing Knife kpinga or kipinga
Zande / Avungara / Barambo, D.R. Congo / C.A. Republic
Forged iron, leather, vegetable fiber
Early 20th century

This type of throwing knife-one of the most immediately recognizable African forms-comes from the high savannas and dense forests that lie across the border of the Central African Republic and D.R. Congo. Utilized by the Zande, Avungara, Barambo, and other Zande-related groups, this type of throwing knife, known as kpinga, was a primary tool in the Zande's expansion and protection of their territory in the 18th and 19th centuries. In the 20th century, kpinga knives remained elite weapons carried by royal bodyguards and court attendants, and were often the prerogative of unmarried men. As symbols of ethnic pride and tribal authority, they were not used for hunting.

Highly embellished pieces such as this, which wears an elaborately incised stem and pierced bridge, were reserved for display as symbols of high prestige (Berardi, Standing on Ceremony, 2004; Felix, Kipinga, 1991).

The metal here shows a colorful luminescence that is fascinating and charming on both front and back.

17.5 in :: 44.5 cm

InventoryID #13-996

SOLD