Sabre Knife
Gbaya / Bumali / Bekwil / Njem / Konabem, C.A.Republic / Cameroon / Rep. of Congo / Gabon
Forged iron, wood, rattan, copper
First half of the 20th century

Knives of this type were inspired by functional designs, yet served as prestige emblems that were never meant to be thrown, despite their many similarities to throwing knives. While most Gbaya blades wear throwing-knife-style woven leather handles, this style is unique in that it wears a more fragile wooden handle, and even accentuates its ineffectiveness as a weapon with the deliberate off-kilter forward lean of the blade as it rises from the handle. Also unique to this type is the hooklet that is always present on the aft side of the stem above the handle. This blade is most commonly attributed to the Bumali (who number only a few thousand), but has also been collected among the larger parent group Gbaya (who number 4 million), and other smaller groups such as the Njem (Westerdijk, The African Throwing Knife, 1988).

The rattan covering of the wood handle is unusual, but all indications point to both the handle and the rattan being original. The blade is composed of high-quality iron, which definitely contributed the blade surviving the near-decapitation that clearly occurred at some point.

Mounted on a custom display stand, pictured below. 

20.5 in :: 52 cm

InventoryID #13-598

SOLD