Crossbow from Gabon or Cameroon
(Resurrecting this old thread as I haven’t found much discussion of these old bows in the forum.) Making an effort to post some crossbows from my collection for comment/reference. I’ve been collecting tribal crossbows for 20+ years, and I’ve noticed there’s been very little written about them. At best there are scattered references in ethnographic works and reviews of tribal archery (Grayson, “Traditional Archery from Six Continents”, Wiethase, “Arrows of the World”).
This is a complete, tribally used (possibly Fang) crossbow from Gabon or Cameroon. I do not have provenance but likely early 20th century.
Truly strange and unique weapons - the mechanism is a deep split in the wood stock combined with a small wood peg that pushes the bowstring out of a notch in the stock. A lump of wax or resin holds the small wood bolt on the top of the stock. (More of this material is present on the side of the muzzle.) Strong, square sectioned bow with deep bend. The wire holding the bow in place was probably added by a former owner.
In the past I had another African bow, possibly from a different region, with a different mechanism. That one had a hinged lever for a trigger made from the same material as the stock.
105 cm x 62 cm. Bow about 3 cm x 4 cm at middle. Pin nocks. Square cross section.
Also on the lookout for any good references on SEA archery and ethnographic crossbows!
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