Ngombe execution knife
 

And here a Ngombe execution knife from the same auction, again for a small amount.

Comments?

Again, I applaud you unbelievable luck with this great score. I hope that you have more of the same in store for you for years to come. I do not collect African weapons as you know, but non the less I am starting to get a bit jealous of your good fortune. ;) :D Keep up the good work.

Best, Robert

Thank's again Robert! I have learned by the years of collecting and my low budget to look for the sleepers by ebay and elsewhere, sometimes I have good luck, sometimes not. I have start my collecting with keris and other weapons from Indonesia, later I get interest in Philippine weapons and now I see that the african, special from Central Africa, weapons have something fascinating also. But frankly said I would give away a Congo blade for something from Indonesia or the Philippines.

Regards,

Detlef

With brass knobs on. ;)

Beautiful example Tim! :eek: Thank you for sharing.

Regards,

Detlef

Sajen, yours is older than Tim's example dating probably before 1920.
Tim's sword was probably made between the 2 world war's.

Pieje, thank you again, by which features you date this? Just want to learn! ;)

Regards,

Detlef

By the shape and strongness of the blade. Those with extensions are younger than those without (like yours). Your blade is wider/thus stronger compared to the more fragile blade of Tim's sword.

Thank you for the learning lesson! :) ;)

A double one.

Thank you for sharing Luc. Is the "ferrule" like by my one from copper sheet?

Regards,

Detlef

For comparison: My three Ngombe swords
 

The first sword, painted, was originally obtained by a missionary in the Belgian Congo in the early part of the 20th C., probably around 1925 when the Belgian Trappists were recalled from the Congo. I bought it from the missionary's nephew in Belgium. It is 27 inches long.

The other two are more typical Ngombe execution swords. Each is 26 inches long.

The Ngombe tribe traded these swords widely. Sometimes you may see them called "Ngulu" or "Ngala", which is short for "Bangala", a station on the Congo River set up in the 19th C. The ethnic group in that area, the Mongo, traded for these swords with the Ngombe despite their history as sworn enemies. The swords were used primarily as ceremonial pieces in the execution of slaves, often to conclude a peace agreement between two warring tribes. Colonial Belgium forbid execution and cannibalism, previously widespread in that area of the Congo. Goats substituted for human slaves in the ritual. By the mid-20th C. these swords were used by the Ngombe in a dance called "Likbeti" which could last two days. It culminates in the sacrifice of a goat and its consumption by the revelers. (Reference: Nelson, Samuel H. Colonialism in the Congo Basin, 1880-1940. Athens, OH: Ohio University Center for International Studies, 1994. Print. Africa Ser., No. 64.)

Thank you Dave for sharing your examples and the interesting historical pictures as well the interesting background about this swords.

Here some more examples I have found in old threads, hopefully that the owners don't mind.

No problem, I also learned it from people with much more knowledge and experience than me.

Hello Detlef,

great knife !! Congratulations. Here's another exemple from a double one. The handle is wrapped in yellow copper.

Enjoy, Carlo

After some hours work and very dirty fingers I have cleaned one side of the Ngala, here some pictures.

And here some pictures from the other, uncleaned side. I know that some members like a blade like this more but I prefer to look at a clean blade.

Very nice and a very good cleaning work! Congrats, Detlef!

Hello Carlo,

sorry, just before noticed your post! Thank you and your double one is just beautiful, thank you for sharing.

Regards,

Detlef

Thank you Flavio! :)

Hmm… remove the patina or not?
 

I'm looking at these pictures of beautiful Ngombe swords, some cleaned down to the raw metal and appearing spanking new, and others showing the passage of time. I know feelings are mixed among among members of the forum on the various aspects and merits of preservation vs. restoration. For now, I'm thinking that the African weapons have a greater beauty when they show their age. Arrest the rust and preserve the rest!

Best,

Dave A.

Hello Dave,

I don't want to start a discussion what is a correct maintenance of ethnograhic weapons and I am aware like you that there are different perceptions special between european and american collectors. But I have several questions and notes.
First, I see only one ngala in up which seems to my eyes somewhat overcleaned, all other apparently cleaned blades still have the signs of wear and age IMHO.
Second, why you write this special about african weapons? Where you see the different between maybe philippine and african blades? I think that every tribal warrior have kept his respected and surely expensive weapons in a good and clean state. Furthermore is a rusted blade improper for fighting IMO.

Do you think that I have overcleaned my ngala and do you have let it in the state the backside still have? Please have a look to the detail pictures from the cleaned blade. And frankly said, the blade look on the pictures much cleaner as in real.

In my opinion I have only removed rust and no patina. BTW, I have some blades with a dark surface which I have let in this state, but this blades haven't had active rust. See attached image.

I hope that you don't feel attacked by my questions since this isn't my purpose.

Best regards,

Detlef

The Africans kept their weapons very clean, this can be seen on original pictures. Many have beautiful engraving. Why let these engraving covered by that black “patina” making them often hardly visible. (Not to confuse with the blackened part on the blade of some swords, Kuba etc) The many copper wire and nails used on the hilt would be useless if not kept clean.

I noticed that swords brought back from Belgian Congo in e.g. the first part of the 20th C. don’t have that black “patina”. The active usage of these weapons at that time probably made it impossible to acquire such patina. Apart of removing the active rust, those don’t need any further treatment. It is a real pleasure to clean these weapons.
However, those that stayed in Africa for dozens of years, unused, stored in that harsh climate, only those show such black blade. And cleaning could take some time as noted Sajen.
In my opinion, if you like to have your weapons as they were at the time they were used, you should clean the blade. “Showing their age” is just showing what they look like if being unused for many dozens of years. But that’s not the African way of preserving their weaponry. Only my opinion.

Agree complete with you. There may be examples where it is difficult to find the correct way (for example the first one in post #13) but by my one I think it will be no other choice to spend some more hours for the back side! :D ;)

I AM NOT SURE IF THESE ALL FIT INTO THIS CATEGORY OR TRIBE BUT ARE SIMULAR IN FORM. I HAVE ALWAYS LIKED THE DOUBLE BLADE TIP FORMS AND WILL ADD SOME PICTURES I HAVE ON HAND. PERHAPS SOMEONE WITH THE KNOWLEGE CAN CLASSIFY THEM AS TO TRIBE AND NAMES IF THEY WISH.

very nice.

THE LAST PICTURE ABOVE IS SAID TO BE JEMONGO, NGATA I AM NOT SURE IF THATS THE TRIBES OR WHAT. HERE ARE 2 MORE PICTURES OF IT ONE SHOWING THE UNUSUAL POMMEL GRIP. OLD OR MORE RECENT WORK I DON'T KNOW BUT I LIKED IT AND THOUGHT THE PRICE WAS RIGHT. :D