Birdhead Knife
Fang / Kota, Gabon
Iron, wood, copper
1960s - 1990s

This birdhead knife belongs to a group of Gabonese weapons that appear to have originated from one workshop, which share common characteristics:

—The metal is cut from a solid sheet, likely of European manufacture 

—The handle wrap consists of thick, rectangular copper near the blade and round or twisted iron wire (which is often loose or missing) near the butt

—The handle wrap is crimped in three places near the blade

—The spur (when present) is uncharacteristically thin, long, and curved

—The blade is heavily incised; much more so than traditional examples

Generally, these features create a blade that is something of a cartoonish interpretation of a traditional Gabonese design. I suspect that these blades were manufactured in Gabon with modern materials and techniques sometime between the 1960s and 1990s. Therefore, this blade isn't truly inauthentic, but a modern Gabon-made interpretation of a traditional design. 

In 1970, the Gabonese Republic issued four airmail stamps depicting various blades and arms. Two of the stamps each depict two blades from this contemporary workshop (first and third from left):

 

So far, I have found two examples from this workshop in museum collections: 

-Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, 2018.313.708 (Donated in 2018, but photographed in 1972). 

-Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen, Leiden, TM-5938-2. Date: "before 2001." Comment: "Modern imitation?"

14.25 in :: 36.25 cm

InventoryID #13-2646

Not For Sale