African sword - Salampasu variation?
 

Or something else?

Massive, heavy, well-forged blade --- 3" wide and 19" long. Sword is 24" overall length in sheath.

Bill

Nice one! The blade has a Fang look to it? Could be a melding of two tribes sword?


Lew

Freddy ?
 

Very nice piece.
Maybe Freddy can comment on this one ?

Ps. It wasn't POR I hope ;) :D

Thank you, Willem!

Price was listed and paid without bickering. :D

I have a good, well-provenanced Batak sword from Willem that I will post soon.

But for now, I am interested in comments on this piece. I think that Lew may have something in a melding of two cultures. There does seem to be a Fang influence.

For comparison :)

Very nice. Bill has some super things. :cool: No need to doubt the effectiveness of this weapon.

Nothing to see with the Fang, just Salampasu, if you'r searching for influences see Luba, Songye, Kete (north).
It's a nice and unusual piece.
Luc

Thank you Lew, Luc and Tim.

nice
 

Very nice, Bill.

It's a Salampasu sword, that's sure. My guess is, that they probably used a good blade from another tribe. Like Luc said, the problem is to find which one.

I like these variations. Salampasu swords aren't rare, that's for sure. But the one you have.... Just try to find a second one. I don't think it would be easy. ;)

Look at the following picture : both Salampasu, no ?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...ding2637-1.jpg

I'll show the rest tomorrow. Have to go to work. :o

Here are the rest of my pics.

This piece has, I believe, a hilt with Kuba-influence. The top of the hilt ressembles the hilt of a Kuba-sword called 'Ilwoon' or 'Ilonda'.

Why was this blade altered or why did it receive a different hilt ? It fits into an ordinary Salampasu sheath. is it a Kuba sword with a Salampasu blade or a Salampasu blade wiht a Kuba-style hilt. Who knows ? :shrug: :confused:

Interesting, no ? ;)


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...ding2638-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...elding2639.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...elding2641.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...elding2642.jpg

Always something new coming out of Africa.

Yes, Tim. That's what I like about African weapons. One never gets bored. :p

------------------------Pliny the Elder (A.D.23-79). ;)

Great art is never boring. You always see something new.

Wonderful sword Bill, congratulations!!!

I don't think it's salampasu even if the scabbard is very similar to the salampasu ones... on the book "Waffen aus Zentral-Afrika" there is a sword identical and is attributed to the Pendi or Bagandi tribe... Tomorrow I will post a picture of the book.

Flavio

Here are the pictures from the book. Bill's sword with the one on "Waffen aus Zentral-Afrika".

Well find Flavio.I have not find PENDI, but PINDI a small group at the west of the MBUUM, and to the north of the West PENDE group.Same linguistic group of the PENDE (Bantu).
Here a Pindi sword from the Poppe collection.
And a HUNGANA and PENDE sword to search influences ??
Luc

Thank you Flavio and Luc. I did not see Flavio's post earlier than today. Almost looks like a picture of my same sword! The dealer I bought mine from thought it was 19th c.

Happy to be of some help :) ;)