Throwing Knife kpinga or kipinga
Zande / Avungara / Barambo, D.R. Congo / C.A. Republic
Forged iron, snakeskin
1880-1900
This type of throwing knife—one of the most immediately recognizable African forms—comes from the high savannas and dense forests that lie across the border of the Central African Republic and D.R. Congo. Utilized by the Zande, Avungara, Barambo, and other Zande-related groups, this type of throwing knife, known as kpinga, was a primary tool in the Zande's expansion and protection of their territory in the 18th and 19th centuries. In the 20th century, kpinga knives remained elite weapons carried by royal bodyguards and court attendants, and were often the prerogative of unmarried men. As symbols of ethnic pride and tribal authority, they were not used for hunting.
Felix describes this variation—larger and undecorated—as the "workhorse" type, which was hung between two iron discs on the inside of wickerwork shields, and carried into battle.
After the turn of the century, kpinga knives became smaller, less aerodynamic, and more elaborately decorated symbols of prestige rather than important military weapons. They remained an important cultural symbol and many men were buried with them (Blackmun, Blades of Beauty and Death, 1990; Felix, KIPINGA, 1991; Westerdijk, The African Throwing Knife, 1988).
Mounted on a custom display stand, pictured below.
18.5 in :: 47 cm
InventoryID #13-1175
Price on Request