Double Sickle Blade
Lia / Sengele (Mpama) / Nkundu / Konda / Ntomba / Ngata / Bangi, D.R. Congo
Forged iron, wood, brass, iron staple
Early 20th century
This knife served as an insignia of rank and has been described as a 'luxury weapon.' It was primarily the prerogative of western Mongo groups who lived east of the Congo River near the equator, such as the Lia, Nkundu, and Ekonda. What distinguishes knives of those groups and the piece presented here are the deeply-cut incisions. The Teke of also used knives of this type, and integrated them into their active trade systems that pervaded the Zaire and Ubangi Rivers in the 19th century (Berardi, Standing on Ceremony, 2004; Gosseau, Tribal Art Monographs Vol 1/No. 2, 1997; Zirngibl, Rare African Short Weapons, 1983).
Interestingly, similar knives have been published in recent years and attributed to the Lia, even though Gosseau wrote that he had not encountered a double-crescent variation from the Lia. Probably the most important comment regarding cultural attribution was also published by Gosseau: "It is important to remember that these groups are not distinctly separated from one another and that some existing transition forms may suggest a morphological evoluytion resulting from cultural inter-ethnic exchanges."
22 in :: 56 cm
InventoryID #13-1262
SOLD
