Inauthentic Throwing Knife, moko-ndo
In the style of the Ngbaka Mabo, Central African Republic / D.R. Congo
Iron, wood, copper
Provenance dates back to 2016

The goal of this endeavor of is to expose some of the well camouflaged inauthentic objects that have appeared on the market in recent years. This model falls outside of that category, as most connoisseurs would immediately recognize its dubious aesthetics. However, this type has become so widely available lately, it seems too significant to exclude from this examination.

Reportedly manufactured in central Africa, this variation incorporates materials that appear correct, as well as being the appropriate size and weight and being fairly-well balanced. The primary warnings are the overall aesthetic, the incorrect incision style, the careless incision execution, and the use of modern handle wrap. Other details such as the curled edges are blatantly incorrect.

Most significantly, this piece is incredibly stiff and lacks the aesthetic 'flow' that an authentic Mabo throwing knife should wear. I have seen some sellers excuse this glaring deficiency by proclaiming that this type is a non-functional currency object, but even late 20th century Mabo knives don't ignore their aesthetic tradition so unashamedly. In The African Throwing Knife (1988), Westerdijk even examines the "relatively recent" Mabo styles, made by "copyists" and used for dowry payments, and even these examples remain well within the Mabo aesthetic corpus.

This blade wears incisions that are deliberately excessive and designed to impress, yet forget to acknowledge the Mabo incision tradition. The incision design on this blade (dashes, Xs, and a small grid) is entirely incorrect.

The incisions are also incorrect because they were executed with a tool much too large for a traditional Mabo blade. However, it is the inordinately large amount of pooling around the incisions that makes an even more obvious flaw. This characteristic would not be present on an authentic example. But even if an authentic example experienced this much pooling, the smith would have filed down the pools so that they would either be undetectable or less prominent.

The handle is another giveaway, using extra-wide copper tape, which is predominantly used on recent models. It is clear that the copper is not in its current shiny state because it is old copper that was refurbished - the patina and the crevasses make it clear that is young copper.

The curled edges of the blade are not only incorrect, but emphatically so. However, when observing the sharp bevels of Mabo blades in photographs, it's not unreasonable to understand how the forgers of this blade might have chosen to compose the edges in this way. Looking at the two-dimensional piece from directly above (perhaps in a book), the sharp edges of an authentic Mabo resemble the dull edges seen here.

While likely manufactured in Africa, this example is not the work of a Mabo blacksmith, and is disingenuous. It fits my model of inauthenticity in that it was designed to deceive.

13.75 in :: 35 cm

InventoryID #13-367

Not For Sale