Found in someone's stable
 

As I always say : there is still a lot to be found in Belgium. Numerous people had relatives who lived and worked in Congo when it was still a Belgian colony. When they returned to Belgium, almost all of them took with them some souvenirs. These could be masks, statues and of course....weapons.

Recently, I came in contact with an elderly man who told me he had some African arrows for sale. He couldn't send me pictures, but as he lives not to far from my place, I decided to pay him a visit this evening. I didn't know what to expect. :shrug:

First he showed me a bunch of arrows in a quiver, probably originating from West-Africa. The arrows were a mixed bunch with several pieces from Congo (amongst them some Pygmee arrows).

Then he said he also had some 'machetes' and he wanted to know if I was interested, too. To my surprise he gave me : a Ngombe execution knife, a double execution knife (Lobala, Ngbaka, Bondjo), a Bandia or Boa sickle knife and last, but not least...an old Ngbaka throwing knife. There was also some smaller stuff like : a small knife, some arrowpoints and three spearheads.

This person got this 'ironwork' from his uncle who, at one time, lived in Congo. These items had been in his attic for a long time and were then moved to the stable. Some of the arrows were still packed in a newspaper dating from 1953 (That's older than me :rolleyes: ). The person didn't know what to do with this stuff. He just wanted to get rid of them....and he found the right person :D

Here are some pics, I took when I got back home.

I'm planning to clean these weapons a little bit. I will show them when they are finished.

Hi Freddy,
not my field, but a great find!

sajen

Outstanding! Congrats!

Very nice ! like the Lobala knife with the two "arms"...

Amazing, lucky you! Please do show us some nice pictures when they are cleaned!

I love stables and attics. Great find!! Lucky you!!

Very nice Freddy,
its great when things like this happen :cool:

Regards David

Beautiful! Thanks for sharing, Freddy....now I just wish something like this would happen to me...attic full of dha please! :P

CONGRADULATIONS THAT IS THE KIND OF THING WE ALL DREAM ABOUT KIND OF LIKE FINDING THE TREASURE OF THE LOST CITY IN THE JUNGLE. :D
ANOTHER GOOD THING IS YOU HAVE RESCUED THEM FROM POSSIBLE DESTRUCTION AND LOSS, THERE IS NO TELLING HOW MANY SUCH THINGS RUSTED AWAY IN COLLAPSED BARNS AND HUTS OR WERE THROWN IN THE DUMP BY THOSE WHO CONSIDERED THEM JUNK AND OF NO VALUE. IT HAS HAPPENED AROUND THE WORLD MANY TIMES OVER THE YEARS.
SO AS WE SAY AROUND HERE "WAY TO GO!" :D

I have recurring dreams like this you know ;) great find!


Lew

ROTF!!!
Me too mate.

Fantastic find!

Congrats, nice find. The only thing I've ever found in a stable is the stuff
you have to shovel :-)

Rich S

Hi Freddy,
Fantastic group, as regards stable finds mine always fall somewhere between horse s--t and bull s--t !!! :( :D
My Regards,
Norman.

The double Lobala execution knife
 

Yes, I was lucky yesterday :p

All the items were rusty, but still in good order.

Here is the double execution knife from the Lobala, Ngbaka or Bondjo after gentle cleaning.

The Congolese name for such a sword is : Bango or Bwagogambanza. They were used as luxury weapons for notables and chiefs. The Europeans saw in the form of these blades the representation of a person, with 'arms' and the small circle of dots as 'nipples'.

The blade shows an incised pattern on both sides. On one of the photos, you can also see the 'nipples', just at the beginning of the 'arms'.

The handle is somewhat small (for my hand, anyway) and made out of wood. At the bottom it's embellished with some nails. There's also a metal 'loop' which goes through the handle. As far as I can see, it's the original one. There is some insect damage (small holes), but it's treated.

Measurements :

Total length : 60 cm
length of handle : approx. 12 cm
width of the arms : 21,5 cm
width of blade : 6,2 cm