Need help to identify a knife from Congo

VANDOO · 16th October 2016, 04:23 AM

AFRICAN WEAPONS HAVE MORE VARIATIONS THAN JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE. THERE ARE THE CLASSIC FORMS SUCH AS THE OTHER EXAMPLES IN YOUR PICTURE. THERE ARE GOOD OLD EXAMPLES OF THESE CLASSIC FORMS AND MORE RECENT ONES AS THEY ARE STILL MADE. THE QUALITY VARIES ON OLD AND MORE RECENT EXAMPLES AS WELL. THEN THERE ARE ITEMS LIKE THE DAGGER YOU ARE LOOKING FOR INFORMATION ON. SOME OF THESE ARE NATIVE MADE FOR LOCAL USE, SOME ARE PUT TOGETHER WITH FRESHLY MADE WOOD HANDLES FOR SALE. YOUR EXAMPLE LOOKS LIKE THE NATIVE MADE VARIETY TO ME AND LIKELY CEREMONIAL. THE REASON I GUESS THIS IS THE HANDLE APPEARS TO HAVE GOOD OLD PATINA AND THE SPEAR BLADE LOOKS OLDER AS WELL. THE HANDLE IS SIMILAR IN SHAPE AND FORM TO THE LARGE KNIFE AT THE TOP OF YOUR PICTURE OF THE GROUP OF KNIVES. TO ME THAT INDICATES IT WAS CARVED IN THE SHAPE OF THAT KNIFE FORMS HANDLE WITH A VARIATION HUMAN HEAD SO MAY BE FROM THAT TRIBE. SOMEONE NEEDED A KNIFE AND HAD A SPARE SPEAR POINT AND CARVED A HANDLE AND LIKELY MADE A SCABBARD FOR IT. RESEARCH SHOULD HELP YOU PIN IT DOWN AS THE CARVING IS REPRESENTATIVE OF THE TRIBE WHO MADE IT, SO HAIR DO AND FORM MAY HELP. I WOULD NOT BE TOO QUICK TO WRITE IT OFF AS JUST ANOTHER TOURIST SOUVENIR. THESE ARE JUST MY OBSERVATIONS SO FURTHER RESEARCH AND INSPECTION IN HAND WILL HELP YOU MAKE A BETTER DETERMINATION

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16th October 2016, 04:23 AM	#7
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	AFRICAN WEAPONS HAVE MORE VARIATIONS THAN JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE. THERE ARE THE CLASSIC FORMS SUCH AS THE OTHER EXAMPLES IN YOUR PICTURE. THERE ARE GOOD OLD EXAMPLES OF THESE CLASSIC FORMS AND MORE RECENT ONES AS THEY ARE STILL MADE. THE QUALITY VARIES ON OLD AND MORE RECENT EXAMPLES AS WELL. THEN THERE ARE ITEMS LIKE THE DAGGER YOU ARE LOOKING FOR INFORMATION ON. SOME OF THESE ARE NATIVE MADE FOR LOCAL USE, SOME ARE PUT TOGETHER WITH FRESHLY MADE WOOD HANDLES FOR SALE. YOUR EXAMPLE LOOKS LIKE THE NATIVE MADE VARIETY TO ME AND LIKELY CEREMONIAL. THE REASON I GUESS THIS IS THE HANDLE APPEARS TO HAVE GOOD OLD PATINA AND THE SPEAR BLADE LOOKS OLDER AS WELL. THE HANDLE IS SIMILAR IN SHAPE AND FORM TO THE LARGE KNIFE AT THE TOP OF YOUR PICTURE OF THE GROUP OF KNIVES. TO ME THAT INDICATES IT WAS CARVED IN THE SHAPE OF THAT KNIFE FORMS HANDLE WITH A VARIATION HUMAN HEAD SO MAY BE FROM THAT TRIBE. SOMEONE NEEDED A KNIFE AND HAD A SPARE SPEAR POINT AND CARVED A HANDLE AND LIKELY MADE A SCABBARD FOR IT. RESEARCH SHOULD HELP YOU PIN IT DOWN AS THE CARVING IS REPRESENTATIVE OF THE TRIBE WHO MADE IT, SO HAIR DO AND FORM MAY HELP. I WOULD NOT BE TOO QUICK TO WRITE IT OFF AS JUST ANOTHER TOURIST SOUVENIR. THESE ARE JUST MY OBSERVATIONS SO FURTHER RESEARCH AND INSPECTION IN HAND WILL HELP YOU MAKE A BETTER DETERMINATION