Short Sword with Copper Cone
Tetela, D.R. Congo
Iron, wood, copper, brass
Early 20th century

While this is a rare but well-known type, little has been written about it. It is often described as a pretige object or a chief's sword, without further details. Clearly, the degree of embellishment to the handle and the blade designate it as an object of high prestige. 

The Tetela are a Mongo culture who number 120,000 and inhabit central D.R. Congo. They are not organized into a state with a central leader - they are divided into many independent communities, each composed of a number of lineages. These groups are governed by hereditary chiefs, kokolamani, through a prime minister, nyampara. There are also hunt chiefs and war chiefs, and some political chiefs are female (Felix, 100 Peoples of Zaire and Their Sculpture, 1987). 

This is an old example with many signs of age and wear: the right edge of the blade has been slightly truncated, the handle has been broken and restored, there is verdigris on the copper elements, and the cone shows signs of a casting error. The copper cone was almost surely cast (supported by the lack of a seam), and the bubbly flaws on one side would have been caused by porosity from trapped gasses in the casting material. The verdigris is present on the small copper hobnails, the copper cone, and the wood handle, suggesting a long history. 

17.25 in :: 44 cm

InventoryID #13-3044

Price on Request