Scarey knife
 

I got this knife today when I put some money in a charity box. I find it rather spooky, the crude but purposeful nature has a curious appeal. The blade has been forged, it does not apear to have come from something else. The wood handle has insect damage, wether this was in the wood or has happened since carving I can not tell. The tang has been peened over in a rough fashion. OAL 32cm blade 20 cm. I would say this is African, it cunjures up old images of The Dark Continent. Anyone come across anything like it? Tim

I wonder if it started out as a spear head?

That thought had crossed my mind. Thanks Bill. Tim

It looks like a prison "shank", to me, Tim. Why do you think it was forged?

Golly thats even more scarey, I think it is forged? The tang and base of the blade are a little more thick than the blade, which does not show obvious signs of makeshift grinding though the blade is very thin. I could well see this coming from some god forsaken African goal in colonial times. Thanks Andrew, I suppose in your work you see the handicraft of the forlorn :eek: Tim

The handle was made or heavily resurfaced after the worm damage as the tracks run along the surface rather than penetrating.

Making a shank in jail or in the poorer parts of Africa is probably very similar.

You use what you can obtain.

The wood doesnt strike me as african though, less it was from a desert region.

Just a feeling, could be wildy wrong.

Spiral

A mounted spearblade was my thought to. Are we looking to an african tombak????

Andrew:"It looks like a prison "shank", to me, Tim."..... Andrew, is there something about your past we should know?

That was my first reaction, too, actually. Nothing in my past ... just a lot of movies and Discovery Channel programs. :)

If I may chime in :)

I think it is a wonderful piece actually. I like the wood, its flaws but also how it appears to be polished by use.
Having been to Angola (ex-Portuguese colony) and part of the Congo nation, I've seen some spears and machetes that at the time I did not looked with the same eyes as now.
Very interesting piece.

Pure Function
 

I enjoy these 'down and dirty' pieces too , they're very elemental and no doubt belonged to those in the lowest strata of whatever society they lived in .

Tim , from the pictures this dagger looks like it has dull edges ; does it ?

here's a rough and tumble piece from the Philippines .

The edges are dull but the blade is rather thin and a quick scrape with a stone or other hard rough surface would soon produce a cutting edge. There is a good 1/4 inch play on the blade at present, there may have been small wooden pieces inserted either side of the blade at one time to stop this, or it could be wear it is clearly quite old, I do not know. It is interesting that although a nasty rude knife, other people as well as myself and through a PC could also feel its mystique. Thanks Tim

Hi,

I also tend to think it's african, just by looking at its 'crude form'.

In 'Afrikanische Waffen' by Werner Fischer and Manfred A. Zirngibl, there's a picture of a strange looking dagger. According to their sources this knife/spearhead is Bambuti (Mbuti). Page 76, fig. 122

Here is what is written :

The pygmies don't work with metal. Instead, they acquire their knives and spearheads by trading bagged quary for them. The knife shown in fig. 122 is typical. The handle is attached to the shaft of what was likely a spearhead.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...elding1262.jpg

The length of this knife is 31 cm, with cord-plaiting on the handle.

Probably your knife could be such a 'recycled' spearhead. :)

Thanks Freddy, again you have come up with exellent informatiom and I would have to agree the most plausible source of origin :cool: Tim