Throwing Knife, Bwambwa
Ngombe, D.R. Congo
Forged iron, braided vegetable fiber
1880-1920

The design of this throwing knife, produced by the Ngombe, is derived from a knife known as za, which was invented by the Ngbaka. The Ngbaka spoke of how their cultural hero, Seto, carried one, and referred to this type as the "wife" of another of their blades, the za sali, who was the husband.

Ngombe throwing knives took an expert blacksmith several days to produce, and were expensive. While they could be effectively thrown as weapons, their value made such an act impractical; Westerdijk writes, "its owner hurled it only in the last resort, or when he esteemed to have a fair chance of recovering it." As such, this weapon's primary role was that of an emblem of power, wealth, and prestige. Known as ngwolo or bwambwa, this weapon type was mainly carried by village heads, lineage elders, and other notables as a symbol of prestige. They were brandished during important funerals, used in initiation ceremonies, and even carried by police during the colonial period (Westerdijk, The African Throwing Knife, 1988).

Westerdijk notes that slag streams (clearly visible on this piece, particularly on the stem and the wing), which indicate the direction into which the metal was drawn out, are present on the earlier examples of this type. This piece wears an inventory number from its stint in the Higgins Armory Museum (Massachusetts, now closed, JWHA #1244).

Purchased by Higgins May 27, 1930 in Paris.

16.5 in :: 42 cm

InventoryID #13-973

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