Not all weapons which are put in the category 'Throwing knife' are actual throwing knives. A lot of these weapons, especially those with wood or even ivory handles, evolved into status symbols.
They weren't actually used for throwing.
A real throwing knife will have a handle made of a material that can't be damaged when thrown, for example leather, hide or even cloth.
Here are two examples :
The first one is a typical Ngbaka/Ngombe throwing knife. This weapon is called : ZA.
The handle is made of animal skin (some of the hair is still there).
The other throwing knife is from the Zulgo tribe inb East-Sudan. It's handle is made of a piece of cloth tied to the metal with some cord.
