Swords a la Portuguese ... Part two

[fernando]

But ... can you read portuguese ?

[Reventlov]

Not really, but I have enough Spanish and French that I can at least get the gist of things... like I said, the book was really not very technical at all!

[fernando]

The Kongo kingdom was defined by the mutation process where European elements were incorporated in domestic culture.
Portuguese arrived in Congo in 1482 and soon converted the local monarchs to Christianty. The first monarch to be baptized was Nzinga-a-Nkuwu, with Christian name João I in 1491. The process went smoothly because the Christian elements called for domestic ideas on their own ideology. Afonso I (1509-1540), the secong king converted to christianty, had seen this well, and confirmed his power for the Europeans and for the domestic population by the setting up with catholicism. The European elite symbol, the sword, was taken over. Together with the crucifix, these two European elements have certainly incorporated most of the habits of the Bakongo (Wannyn 1961, 67).
Deceased Kongo monarchs were found buried with these swords in a Christian attitude.
The symbolism behind the sword for the Bakongo is reduced to the domestic ideas concerning iron and their own theology which was reflected in the form of the sword. Also the rituals which were carried out with the swords reflected this symbolism; in any case the swords came initially from Europe. At the time of the Portugese, European swords were used. Later these became scarcer and domestic copies started being made.
The last soba to have a portuguese Christian name was Soba Nkanga-a-Lukeni, Garcia II (1641-1661). This adds to two centuries of culture blending.


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[Pieje]

These are indeed what they call “ethnographical Mbele a Lulendo swords”, based on the Portuguese swords introduced at the Bakongo kingdom as early as end of 15th century.
First the original Portuguese swords, than imported European blades (Germany, Italy..), later fully locally made. These had a great symbolic function and were used by chiefs, often buried with them after their death, as those found in Kindoki (Bas-Congo).
Later these were placed next to the tomb of a dead chief, which resulted in the loss of the lower part of the blade. I once owned three of these rare swords, but I only kept one in my collection.

[fernando]

Thank you Pieje,
I see that you confirm the prior introduction to these swords origin.
The two examples you posted are apparently fully localy made. Tell me, which is the one you still have with you ?

[Pieje]

This one with (dark) ivory handle and locally made blade.

[Pieje]

However I suspect the other one to have a European blade?