Incised Throwing Knife Kpinga or Kipinga
Zande / Avungara / Barambo, D.R. Congo / C.A. Republic
Iron, vegetal 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 (Berardi, Standing on Ceremony, 2004; Felix, Kipinga, 1991).

Highly embellished pieces were reserved for display as symbols of high prestige, however, there is a formula for the incising patterns and their sequence. The incising patterns on this example deviate wildly from traditional designs, and as such, this blade was not likely a meaningful example within the Zande. It was perhaps made as a tribute piece to someone of high rank from an external culture. 

18 in :: 46 cm

InventoryID #13-2616

Price on Request