Knife "kpinga" - Nzakara - DR Congo

• Superb knife "Kpinga" Nzakara (sold on a stand)

• Democratic Republic of the Congo

• Dimensions: 48 × 46 cm

• Materials: wrought iron, plant fibers

• Weight: 509 g

• Provenance: ex collection Mats Sigelfeldt - Sweden

— Although historically used as a weapon by the sophisticated armies of the Zande and Nzakara, this type of knife, called kpinga, became obsolete in the 20th century and has become more of a symbolic object than a functional one. They were notably used during ceremonies in honor of ancestors, wielded at the funerals of powerful men, and even thrown or buried on tombs. Powerful symbols of authority, they were considered the prerogative of the nobility and were often kept and protected in warehouses; only a few men had the privilege of owning a kpinga at home (Westerdijk, The African Throwing Knife, 1988).

— Sold with its customized magnetic stand visible in the photographs. Beautiful carvings.
We can see in the last two photographs a shield with its Nzakara throwing knife from the Mémoire Africaine collection of the great French collector Mr. Allan Slatec and a photograph of a man from the Azande, a people related to the Nzakara, in a throwing position of the "kpinga".

— Careful, insured delivery with tracking number.