Throwing Knife, Pere or Mokoongo
Kreish (Kresh/Kreisch/Kreich) / Adio / Bongo / Sere, South Sudan / Central African Republic
Forged iron, vegetable fiber
19th century

This throwing knife is among the oldest types from the continent, born in the cradle of winged weapons - the Sudan. Numerous scholarly sources unanimously assert that the production of this knife type ceased before the end of the 19th century. Most commonly attributed to the Kreish, these weapons have also been attributed to the Bongo ("the vanished tribe"), the Adio, and Sere.

Due to the antiquity of the pieces from this area that have survived, the grips are often missing. On this example, the handle, certainly an indigenous replacement, at first seems careless. However, it is meticulously crafted, entirely functional, and old, and I've never seen a comparable example, which lends to it's authenticity (1884.25.2, Pitt Rivers Museum, 2012; Felix, Kipinga, 1991; Hurst, Ngola, 1997; Zirngibl, Rare African Short Weapons, 1983; Zirngibl & Kubetz, Panga Na Visu, 2009).

18.5 in :: 47 cm

InventoryID #13-1006

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