Painted Ceremonial Sword
Lia / Sengele / Ntomba, D.R. Congo
Iron, wood, copper, paint, nail
Early 20th century

With its cutting edge on the outside curve, this knife relates to the legendary ngulu, from which its basic form is most certainly derived. The ngulu was forged by a number of Central African peoples, particularly those who lived between the Ubangi and Congo Rivers.

As various groups adopted the blade, whether for sacrificial purposes or as potent signifiers of rank and power, blacksmiths made numerous adjustments to the general shape and varied the style of ornamentation. This type is typical of the Lia, a subgroup of the Mongo people, who live west of the Congo River near the equator.

In ornamenting the blade, the Lia often preferred a densely textured band of stippled incisions as opposed to the elaborate yokes of parallel hatching, herringbone scoring, or short diagonal hatching commonly found on the ngulu blades that were produced by the Ngombe and Doko who live to the north. This textured effect is achieved by striking a pointed tool repeatedly into the metal (Berardi, Standing On Ceremony, 2004).

This painted example was clearly intended or adapted for ceremonial use. It is comprised of an antique iron blade and an antique wood handle with antique copper wrap. However, it is not clear if the blade and the handle are a "marriage" of two objects from different authentic sources, or if the blade and the handle were originally a pair that were separated and rejoined (indeed, blades such as this where the tang does not extend through the handle are more prone to separation). The iron nail driven into the handle could be indicative of either scenario. 

20 in :: 51 cm

InventoryID #13-2568

Price on Request