Group of small African knives for comments

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by Pertinax

I don't need glasses, I've been to Africa several times and seen everything with my own eyes.

Knives are sold in Africa not in supermarkets, but in small open-air shops or simply along the highway on the ground. A special feature of Africa's climate is that it often rains, followed by bright sunshine. Patina appears after two to three months, and the wood on the handle also cracks.

The blades of such knives are made of poor quality iron, 1.5 - 2.5 mm thick and therefore cannot be used for their intended purpose.

The tourism business has existed in Africa for many decades, and local residents make such knives.

Hebeisen has been producing replica and fantasy knives for Zirngibl and other dealers for decades.

A clear indication of the success that Hebeisen’s knives have achieved is that they are currently being reproduced in Africa, which demonstrates the African blacksmith’s proactive response to the demands of the European market.

I already posted this photo of the “African Supermarket”.

Hello Jury,

I've expressed my view just before. I have never been to continental Africa but have visited Asia several times. It is a very similar climatic condition there. Before wood like the handles from Ians "new" knives receive such a glossy patina it needs minimum years and it's a little bit unintelligible to me that you are obviously not able to see that, sorry!

Look again please!

[Pertinax]

Originally Posted by Sajen

Hello Jury,

I've expressed my view just before. I have never been to continental Africa but have visited Asia several times. It is a very similar climatic condition there. Before wood like the handles from Ians "new" knives receive such a glossy patina it needs minimum years and it's a little bit unintelligible to me that you are obviously not able to see that, sorry!

Look again please!

Hello Detlef

I visited both Africa and Asia, the climatic conditions there are different. Africa has more humidity.

I'm not insisting on anything, I'm just expressing my opinion, maybe I'm wrong.

The items presented by Ians are 50-70 years old, my item is 5 years old.

Regarding ethnographic weapons, this is normal business for the countries that travelers visit. Examples: Oman - khanjar, Yemen - jambia, Morocco - kummiya, Indonesia – keris...

In Africa, too, since travelers began to visit it, in every country local artisans have been producing inexpensive ethnographic weapons for every taste and budget.

Regards, Yuri

[Ian]

Hi Yuri and Detlef. Quite a spirited discussion!

I'm not overly concerned if these were made for native use or were simply sold to tourists as cultural mementos. As Detlef points out, they could (and maybe were) used for specific purposes. The thin blades could be used for some household purposes, or they may be simply ornamental. I don't know. Perhaps our other African experts could opine on their utility or otherwise. What more interests me, however, is that they are ethnographic cultural items from the mid- to late-20th C (that probably reflect earlier customs). I think at least a couple of them show signs of use and perhaps sharpening, and they all shows signs of being handled frequently in my opinion.