FEATURE
The Fantastic African Blades of
114
Tilman Hebeisen
In 1978, Werner Fischer and the late Manfred
Zirngibl published Afrikanische Waffen
(African Weapons), the fi rst truly comprehensive
book strictly dedicated to African knives.1
The cover features four fi ne blades, prominent
among them a spectacular ivory-handled prestige
knife with radical projections and elaborate
incisions in a form that no one had previously
seen (fi g. 1). Fischer and Zirngibl attributed the
blade to the Azande-Idio, but the blade type is
most commonly attributed to the Yakoma or
Zande (it will be referred to as Yakoma below).
Though its provenance contains some suspicious
information, the remarkable form and beauty of
this rare masterpiece virtually guaranteed that it
would appeal to collectors, dealers, and auction
houses, and indeed this proved to be true. Comparison
with a traditional Yakoma throwing
knife (fi g. 2) illustrates why this object received
so much attention. At the time it was published,
it was the only example known, and it was in the
collection of one of that book’s authors, Manfred
Zirngibl.
Over the years, several other weapons of this
rare type have come to light and have fetched
signifi cant prices on the art market. However,
viewed from a perspective of expertise, these
seem to have more in common with each other
than with the one that appears in Fischer and
Zirngibl. A close examination of one example,
currently in the collection of co-author Ethan
Rider (fi g. 3), reveals troubling details.2
A signifi cant inconsistency can be found in the
way in which the iron was worked. A knife produced
at the forge by a traditional blacksmith in
Africa will show signs of being drawn out and
wrought into its fi nal shape. Certain elements
should be visible, such as slag streams resulting
from this manipulation of the iron and overlaps
that show where separate pieces of iron were
hammered onto other pieces to join them. The
iron on the Rider Yakoma shows no sign of such
traditional forging and was likely cut from a solid
sheet.
The incised decoration on the Rider Yakoma
also is problematic. Many of the patterns on
the blade are inconsistent with traditional Yakoma
designs, and the manner in which they
were executed is patently incorrect. The markings
on authentic Yakoma blades, as well as on
other blades from the region, were achieved by
a process of punching and/or hammering, often
carried out while the iron was still hot. Here,
however, the incisions are unquestionably
burned in. While this isn’t immediately visible
to the naked eye, it is blatant under magnifi cation.
Photographed at 20x magnifi cation, both
the extremely consistent circular cone incisions,
which indicate the shape of the tool that was
used, and the crisscrossed lines along the stem
show undeniable evidence of the same inappropriate
technique, that of burning markings
onto the blade (fi gs. 4–6).
Stylistically, the incised lizards on the Rider
knife are far too naturalistic (fi g. 8). While the
lizard is a recurring theme, no traditional knife
from Africa depicts one with such realism, and
especially not with the muscular legs seen here.
Abstracting the form of a lizard is something an
African blacksmith would take pride in doing,
as embodying the creature’s avatar, or symbolic
spirit, would be much more important than producing
a lifelike representation.
By Ethan Rider and Wolf-Dieter Miersch
FIG. 1 (above):
The cover of Afrikanische
Waffen showing a
masterpiece ivory-handled
Yakoma blade.
Werner Fischer and Manfred A. Zirngibl,
Afrikanische Waffen, Passau: Prinz-
Verlag GmbH, 1978.
FIG. 2 (right):
A more typical example of a
throwing knife.
Yakoma, Gembele/Bira,
DR Congo/Central African
Republic. Late 19th/early
20th century.
Vegetal fi ber, reptile skin.
H: 43 cm.
Ethan Rider Collection.
Photo: Ethan Rider.