Ngala for tourists or old?

Drabant1701 · 5th April 2015, 11:20 AM

I have this ngala knife from Congo. Do you think that it is old or is newer made for tourist market?

Sajen · 5th April 2015, 01:13 PM

Old honest piece, with a little bit maintenance it will look much better. A shame about the big edge chip. Clean the blade and polish up the wire bindings and give the wood oil. Would be nice when you post pictures after this. Would guess that your piece is from around 1900 until 1920.

Regards,
Detlef

asomotif · 5th April 2015, 08:47 PM

Yes, looks like genuine craftmanship to me.

Ps. Don't overclean the blade.

DaveA · 6th April 2015, 05:50 AM

I second the idea of not to overclean. The age is part of the appeal.

The Ngombe tribe forged these swords and traded them widely, to friends and enemies alike.

The name Ngala was used by early colonial authorities to describe an ethnic group that they imagined lived upriver from the capital. The name Ngala figured prominently on early maps and is today considered one of the three main regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo. In that area, however, many tribes are to be found. Collectively, many of these tribes belong to the Mongo ethnic group.

I own several of these swords. One is definitively identified as collected from Bangala (Ngala), the name of a station on the Congo River and also a dialect of the Mongo people. This sword was originally collected by a Belgian missionary, the uncle of the previous owner, in the Belgian Congo in the early part of 20th century. http://atkinson-swords.com/collectio...ord-congo.html

Drabant1701 · 6th April 2015, 07:31 AM

Thank you for your knowledgeable replies. I will be careful not to overclean.

5th April 2015, 11:20 AM	#1
Drabant1701 Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Sweden Posts: 181	Ngala for tourists or old? I have this ngala knife from Congo. Do you think that it is old or is newer made for tourist market? Attached Images

6th April 2015, 05:50 AM	#4
DaveA Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Wisconsin, USA Posts: 413	More info - Ngala, Ngombe I second the idea of not to overclean. The age is part of the appeal. The Ngombe tribe forged these swords and traded them widely, to friends and enemies alike. The name Ngala was used by early colonial authorities to describe an ethnic group that they imagined lived upriver from the capital. The name Ngala figured prominently on early maps and is today considered one of the three main regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo. In that area, however, many tribes are to be found. Collectively, many of these tribes belong to the Mongo ethnic group. I own several of these swords. One is definitively identified as collected from Bangala (Ngala), the name of a station on the Congo River and also a dialect of the Mongo people. This sword was originally collected by a Belgian missionary, the uncle of the previous owner, in the Belgian Congo in the early part of 20th century. http://atkinson-swords.com/collectio...ord-congo.html

5th April 2015, 01:13 PM	#2
Sajen Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Germany, Dortmund Posts: 8,491	Old honest piece, with a little bit maintenance it will look much better. A shame about the big edge chip. Clean the blade and polish up the wire bindings and give the wood oil. Would be nice when you post pictures after this. Would guess that your piece is from around 1900 until 1920. Regards, Detlef

5th April 2015, 08:47 PM	#3
asomotif Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 2,221	Yes, looks like genuine craftmanship to me. Ps. Don't overclean the blade.

6th April 2015, 07:31 AM	#5
Drabant1701 Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Sweden Posts: 181	Thank you for your knowledgeable replies. I will be careful not to overclean.