Miniature Prestige Blade, Lafongo / Wele / Mpie / Itete
West / Central Mongo: Sengele / Konda / Lia / Ntomba, D.R. Congo
Iron, wood, brass
Early 20th century

The Mongo are a large complex of linguistically-related tribes living mostly in the rainforests of the northwestern D.R. Congo. Mongo groups include the Nkutshu, Hamba, Tetela, Mbole, Sengele, Ntomba, Ekonda, and Kundu, among others. With the exception knives borrowed from neighboring cultures, the Mongo don’t use throwing knives or sickle knives; they primarily use short swords and axes. There is great diversity in the in the different models of short swords used, from the simplest to the most elaborate; from functional to purely symbolic (Elsen, De fer et de fierté, 2003; Zirngibl & Kubetz, Panga Na Visu, 2009).

Small knives such as this were used by women as functional pocket knives. They come from the western / central Mongo; this example closely resembles the Sengele style, but could also originate from the Konda, Lia, or Ntomba (pers. communication, Danny De Waele, 2020; pers. communication, Luc Lefebvre, 2020). Seven examples are published in Ballarini, The Perfrct Form: On the Track of African Tribal Currency (2009), and described simply as miniature knives. Ballarini gives a very specific place of origin, but no other information: "They come from Mushenge, a village in western Kasai" (Ballarini, Roberto. The Perfrct Form: On the Track of African Tribal Currency, 2009).

10.5 in :: 26.5 cm

InventoryID #13-1917

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