Mayoko swords

[IainN]

Recently I'm finding myself fascinated by swords from the Mayoko tribe. I've been able to find out very little about the people group using google, so I was wondering if anyone could suggest resources. They can be general, but of course A&A specific ones are even more helpful. ;)

Also images of Mayoko swords, knives, people, what have you... would be muchos appreciated.

This one in particular is quite the beauty (and has probably been posted here a few hundred times :D)
http://anthro.amnh.org/images/full/901/901_3715.jpg

[ariel]

Which Mayoko?
This one ?
http://elfwood.lysator.liu.se/art/n/e/nessie/lightdark.jpg.html

Or that one?
http://pview.findlaw.com/view/3352923_1?noconfirm=0

:D :D :D :D :D
I like the second one: she is very cute and her tribe used to make great swords, but now makes even better sushi!

[IainN]

Nice Ariel. :D

I of course meant the people group from Congo, I'm always forgetting the specificity. :rolleyes:

[ariel]

I've never seen the sword you posted. Seems to be of much better quality than the usual African stuff and infinitely more functional. I am intrigued...

[IainN]

I just happened upon it while surfing the http://anthro.amnh.org/anthro.html Africa collection.

Here's another Mayoko sword (though not nearly as nice)
http://anthro.amnh.org/images/full/901/901_2124.jpg

Notice the different blade cross-section from the previous example.

[Tim Simmons]

I started a thread called Takouba saber. The sword has the same cross section. Identification can be maddening where does one inflence end and another start across a vast land. It looks like the sword belongs to the big chap with all the flunkies hanging around.

[Flavio]

Hello IainN, i have seen these two swords some times ago on the great site you have posted and indeed are very beautiful and elegant. Maybe a month ago i have watched a sword of this kind on ebay, but for some damned motivation i don't bid on it (ah, my memory!!). I never see the Mayoko tribe on books, or maybe i don't remember (again my memory), but the hilt is identical to the ones of the Mangbetu knives-short swords. Maybe the Mayoko are a population in the bigger group of the Mangbetu. Moreover the sword on ebay showed a leather scabbard that was a transitional type from the Mangebutu ones and the Sudan ones (quite similar to the second one you have posted). Also the length is more near to a kaskara that not a mangbetu knife.