Knife "ondo" - Mbugbu/Banda - DR Congo

• Knife "ondo" Mbugbu/Banda

• Democratic Republic of the Congo

• Max height: 42 cm

• Period: early 20th century

• Materials: wrought iron, antelope leather

• Weight: 236 g

• Provenance: Former Belgian private collection

— The 19th century, marked by upheavals, long migrations and inter-tribal wars, led to the dispersion of the Banda, once united, over a vast geographic area, divided into small independent populations speaking around fifty distinct dialects. Likewise, Banda weapons show a great diversity of styles, often radically diverging from traditional aesthetics.

— Banda knives were historically reserved for military use (to stop the advance of an enemy force, for example), but their function evolved after the 1920s to include peaceful and spiritual objectives, such as instruments of ritual dance. This metamorphosis is the combined result of the decline of conflicts in the 20th century and the Banda people's lasting emotional connection to their knives (Westerdijk, The African Throwing Knife, 1988).

— While some researchers use the presence of an ear (the small pointed protrusion between the blade and the guard) to delimit Banda knives from the east from Banda knives of the west, other researchers have documented knives with an ear from groups of the central-southern Banda territories, namely the Mbugbu (Felix, Kipinga, 1991).

— Carefully packaged, insured, and with a tracking number.