short sword - Topoke/Lokele - DR Congo

Short Genya/Lokele/Topoke sword
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Height: 43 cm
Width: 9 cm
Provenance: Karl Stålgärde (Sweden), Galerie Karlsson & Wickman (Sweden), Belgian collection
Materials: Wrought iron (very heavy), wood

This knife, with its superb engravings, should be regarded more as currency than as a weapon. Indeed. In the 19th century, the large amount of metal (iron) contained in the knife’s pommel could still be used for exchanges between ethnic groups of the former Orientale Province of the Belgian Congo (ex).
The large amount of iron in its pommel has given rise to many myths. Notably about these famous knives that were supposedly thrown from the top of a tree to stun an enemy. Nothing could be further from the truth, of course.

This one was collected between 1900 and 1910 by a Swedish man named Karl Stålgärde (second-to-last photograph), who joined the public forces of the former Belgian Congo and took this splendid memento with him to pass on to his family. The last photograph shows the "diploma" of his crossing of the Equator, which was a rite of passage for people traveling to Africa for the first time.

A very heavy knife and, logically, an uneven balance, mainly serving as a means of exchange across the Upper Congo in the 19th century.
A superb collectible piece.

Sold with the magnetic base visible in the photographs.

Sold with the authenticity certificate from Galerie Karlsson&Wickman.

Careful and insured delivery with tracking number