Owambo knife

Johan van Zyl · 14th September 2017, 11:05 AM

Hi fellow forum members

When in December of 1968 I visited the northern areas of the then South West Africa (now Namibia), I purchased this knife from a street vendor. I was very glad to have acquired this, as a remembrance of the month I spent in that region. Now that I have this interest in traditional edged weapons, I look at this knife with new eyes. OK, it is a tourist acquisition, not so? Even in the 1960s, many folk made money out of tourists. I was not a tourist, but these items were easily available to whomsoever wanted to buy.

Total length: 26 cm. Blade length: 18 cm. The rat tail tang runs through the hilt and is peened over at the end.

Now how does one judge the "genuineness" of an item like this one? Please see the pics. The sharp knife is well crafted, and the blade is sturdy (not skimpy) with a definite ridge down the centre. And it has clearly been forged - see the forge/hammer marks.

So the plus points are: (i) It was made in the traditional manner; (ii) It was made by a craftsman of the Owambo people; (iii) It is fully functional - the hilt seems insufficiently short to Western eyes, but it handles effortlessly; (iv) The fit of wood to metal is very good, and the knife goes into the decorated scabbard one way only, which attests to a measure of quality of craftmanship; (v) It has some vintage, as the 1960's is some way back.

The only negative point I can raise, is that it was not made with an Owambo customer in mind, for him to use as is his tradition, but with the express purpose of supplying tourist needs.

So this knife is not a replica (like the katana I once saw, made of aluminium and suitable only as an ornament), but a re-production (my hyphen). All right, all reproductions are replicas (because they replicate the original), but not all replicas are reproductions. I have an Arab jambiya bought at a souk in the United Arab Emirates, and it is horrendous - a replica only! The blade feels like tin plate. But I shoot with a Kentucky muzzle loader bought in 1975, which is a reproduction.

My question is: how high must an item like this Owambo knife be held in our esteem? How do we judge it?

Cheers
Johan

14th September 2017, 11:05 AM	#1
Johan van Zyl Member Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: I live in Gordon's Bay, a village in the Western Cape Province in South Africa. Posts: 126	Owambo knife Hi fellow forum members When in December of 1968 I visited the northern areas of the then South West Africa (now Namibia), I purchased this knife from a street vendor. I was very glad to have acquired this, as a remembrance of the month I spent in that region. Now that I have this interest in traditional edged weapons, I look at this knife with new eyes. OK, it is a tourist acquisition, not so? Even in the 1960s, many folk made money out of tourists. I was not a tourist, but these items were easily available to whomsoever wanted to buy. Total length: 26 cm. Blade length: 18 cm. The rat tail tang runs through the hilt and is peened over at the end. Now how does one judge the "genuineness" of an item like this one? Please see the pics. The sharp knife is well crafted, and the blade is sturdy (not skimpy) with a definite ridge down the centre. And it has clearly been forged - see the forge/hammer marks. So the plus points are: (i) It was made in the traditional manner; (ii) It was made by a craftsman of the Owambo people; (iii) It is fully functional - the hilt seems insufficiently short to Western eyes, but it handles effortlessly; (iv) The fit of wood to metal is very good, and the knife goes into the decorated scabbard one way only, which attests to a measure of quality of craftmanship; (v) It has some vintage, as the 1960's is some way back. The only negative point I can raise, is that it was not made with an Owambo customer in mind, for him to use as is his tradition, but with the express purpose of supplying tourist needs. So this knife is not a replica (like the katana I once saw, made of aluminium and suitable only as an ornament), but a re-production (my hyphen). All right, all reproductions are replicas (because they replicate the original), but not all replicas are reproductions. I have an Arab jambiya bought at a souk in the United Arab Emirates, and it is horrendous - a replica only! The blade feels like tin plate. But I shoot with a Kentucky muzzle loader bought in 1975, which is a reproduction. My question is: how high must an item like this Owambo knife be held in our esteem? How do we judge it? Cheers Johan Attached Images