Congolese weapons
 

I haven't seen any threads on Central African weapons recently, so I thought : Why not show some of mine ! :p

Here are some of my latest finds.

The first is a very nice Lobala knife. It has a well forged iron blade which is still very sharp. The wooden handle has been covered with a thick copper band.

Length : 45,5 cm.

Width of blade : approx. 10 cm.

And here is the second one
 

This knife or shortsword came with a sheath. Again a beautifully forged blade.
The wooden handle is very thin with copper banding. There a small copper nail on top of the handle.
This piece has a leather covered wooden sheath to which copper thread is added. To that, at the top and bottom of the sheath, some decorated thin metal (iron) sheets have been added.

I'm still trying to find out which tribe this one comes from. :shrug:
Does anyone know ?

Total length in sheath : 40 cm.

Lenght of knife : 37,5 cm

I like the second one! Nice piece.

Regards,

Detlef

Yes the second one is great. Never see before. I have to search.
...
I found this one in my documentation, come as Topoke.

The second one could be Lengola (?), Ngandu (?), Saka (?). In any case, I think it is rareness to find it complete, with the original sheath. Congratulations !

Martin

Luc, I think you might be on the right track. The handle of the piece you showed is similar.
If we look at the base of the blade, it's identical to my piece.
I'll try to find some pics of Tetela knives.
Thanks.

Nice one Freddy,
Found this one on the net.

Tetela / Benge - Rdc Congo

Good Congo knives, thanks for posting.

Could the second knife shown be made from a spearhead ?

I don't think so, Colin.

Most Central African spears have spearheads with a socket. This knife has a tang which goes through the handle.

The shape of the blade could have some resemblance with the shape of some Congolese spearheads, though.