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#1 |
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Location: City by the Black Sea
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A new sword has arrived in my African collection.
The Hemba (Luba Hemba) people (or Eastern Luba) are a Bantu ethnic group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Quite a rare item; I only came across a couple of specimens from this ethnic group. A special feature is the very massive handle - a pommel with one body and two faces. Specifications: total length – 620 mm, sword length – 590 mm, blade length – 380 mm, blade width at the hilt – 65 mm, blade thickness – 3 mm, weight with sheath – 1000 g, weight – 620 g By all indications, this sword is some kind of symbol of power or status. Each Hemba clan has a kabeja, a figurine with one body and two faces, male and female, on one neck. Sacrifices are made to the Kabeje, who pass them on to the spirits. |
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#2 |
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Additional photos
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#3 |
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enclosed 2 more interesting links concerning tribal maps
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showpo...8&postcount=47 http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showpo...1&postcount=46 |
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#4 |
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[QUOTE=gp;291551]enclosed 2 more interesting links concerning tribal maps
Thank you gp Very useful information |
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#5 |
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Very nice and complete example!
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#6 |
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#7 |
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#8 |
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Judging from the appearance of the masks, kifwebe, depicted on the handle and scabbard, I would say Songye rather than Luba. It is often difficult to attribute an object to a people, especially when use and design are so close. Interesting piece.
Best regards Marc |
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#9 |
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[QUOTE=Sajen;291567]Please share pics after it!
![]() Necessarily. ![]() Regards, Yuri |
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#10 | |
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![]() Quote:
Yes, very similar to Songye. You're right, Hemba and Songye's ancestors migrated from the Luba Empire, so they have a lot in common. On the Hemba people, I found information on the Kabeja cult. There are figurines for Songye Janus Two Faced, but I have not found a description of the cult. Regards, Yuri |
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#11 |
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Thanks to Mark's help, I am amending the identification of the sword.
The sword clearly belongs to the culture of the Songye people. |
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#12 |
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Thank you for the vintage picture of the warrior.I always considered the shield that he has ,with the carving and face to be made for tourists, but it appears that I may have been wrong based on the photograph.
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#13 | |
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#14 |
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Cleaned and tidied up the sword. Here is the result:
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#15 |
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beautiful faces ! my compliment; very nicely cleaned !
Enclosed 2 pics from Kifwebe masks, the 2nd from the Brooklyn Museum Last edited by gp; 22nd June 2024 at 07:46 PM. |
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#16 |
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Thanks gp
Last edited by Pertinax; 22nd June 2024 at 08:22 PM. Reason: there were already photos |
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#17 |
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Very good job, congrats!
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#18 |
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