Knife
Luba; Songye
Description
Subject Matter:
The janus-faced handle of this knife is similar to other objects created by Luba and Songye peoples. As many peoples from this region (what is today the Democratic Republic of the Congo) interacted in complex social, economic, and political ways, artistic traditions likely moved between these groups as well. To try and attribute this object to one people may not be possible and in doing so may erase the complex history this object may have.
References Cited:
Berardi, Marianne. 2004. Standing on ceremony: traditional African arms from the Donna L. and Robert H. Jackson Collection. Cleveland: The Western Reserve Historical Society.
Hurst, Norman. 1997. Ngola: The Weapon as Authority, Identity, and Ritual Object in Sub-Saharan Africa. Cambridge, MA: Hurst Gallery.
Physical Description:
A knife with a narrow wooden handle ending in a janus-faced pommel. The slightly curved blade is decorated with a pattern of diagonal lines along one side.
Usage Rights:
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