Sabre Knife
Gbaya / Bumali / Bekwil / Njem / Konabem, C.A.Republic / Cameroon / Rep. of Congo / Gabon
Iron, wood, leather, copper
Early 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).

While there are many sources that describe this blade type as a throwing knife or handweapon, its extravagance, delicate composition, dull edges, imbalance, and flamboyance testify to its purpose purely as a symbol of status. Indeed, even the small details such as the notched stem seem to allude to its predecessor's functionality, yet serve only as symbols of prestige.

23 in :: 58 cm

InventoryID #13-2378

Price on Request