Asymmetrical Sickles knives, ngombe?
 

There are a lot of knives with this shapes of different tribes. It's not very clear for me. On this I see those triangular decoration, is this ngombe?
Mostly I see different handles on these. Is it typical for a certain tribe or area?

Same handle as the one above, same tribe??

2 neighbours with simular handles
 

Hi,the first one is Mbudja,the second Bati.They have a simular handle because they are 2 neighbouring tribes.See the map from "tribal arms monographs" volume 1 by Elsen on page 22-23.
Danny :)

Thanks Danny, volume 1 is one of the (many) books I am still missing :( not available anymore in Tervuren.
Guy

Hi Congoblades,

in case of interest, the books are available antiquatian, for instance:
http://cgi.zvab.com/SESSz74603245511...=&days=&rpp=10

Here already a pre-taste....

sorry wrong pic....I'll try again

With this map it must be easy ;)
Thanks again.

Very nice sickles indeed. I am interested in the folded spike at the back of the beak part of the blade on the first example. How wide spread is this feature? it does not appear on the second . Does it have any bearing on this one of mine?

Hi Tim, I hope this is the part you mean?

A copper one
 

A model made of copper.
Luc

Hi Congoblades, your sickled weapons are really nice and of good quality !
Luc

Others heads :

Thanks for the pictures. I was prompted to look again with an eye glass and it appears not to be a spike folded back on its self. It is a punched mark, part of the decoration, very similar to the first example shown. At a distance to the naked eye it does look like a piece folded back. The other examples do not have this mark. Quite interesting, love the copper version, very special. Thanks.

You guys from Belgium really do get some fantastic examples of weapons from the Congo........obviously I know why (historically )......but sometimes I wish Queen Victoria had pushed the 'British Empire' further south (in Africa)... then it may have included the Congo and beyond ...... ;) :p :D

I'm not really jealous..... :p