Old African knives

[Ian]

Africa is definitely not my bailiwick, but about 15-20 years ago I came across a number of old looking, large African knives with dark patinas that seemed very reasonably priced. In the process of getting my various boxes and closets of swords sorted out this summer, I thought I would put up some pics of five of these African knives for further identification and discussion.

I apologize for not having cleaned them, and that raises the question of whether they should be cleaned, with the iron blades brought back to bright, or left as they are with the patina of age.

After looking at a number of reference texts and our online resources, here are my thoughts about where they may be from:

A. Kuba (hilt wrapped with leather strip) OAL = 24 inches
B. Kuba (copper wire-wrapped hilt) OAL = 22.5 inches
C. Tetala (hilt wrapped with rattan strip) OAL = 19 inches
D. Kusu (copper wire-wrapped hilt) OAL = 18 inches
E. Tetala (copper wire-wrapped hilt) OAL = 18.75 inches

A, B, C and E show signs of wear and use. These could be 19th C. The remaining one (D) looks more recent and unused.

I would appreciate hearing from our African experts as to where these knives originate.

Ian.