FEATURE
CONSCIENCE AND REVELATION
After producing both replica and fantasy knives
for Zirngibl and other dealers for decades, Hebeisen
122
states that he fi nally became aware of
the consequences of his work. While he initially
thought he was making creative replicas for collectors
who couldn’t afford authentic blades, he
began to suspect that he was actually participating
in a scheme to deceive. The fi rst clue came
in 1995, when he saw one of his solid-copper
“Kota” musele blades in a gallery in Munich
and requested the price. The response came in a
letter, quoting 65,000 Deutsche Marks, roughly
$45,000 (fi g. 19).14 Although alarming, it was,
for the time being, an isolated incident, and Hebeisen
continued to produce.
In 2008, Hebeisen found one of his “Yakoma”
blades in a Paris auction, estimated at 11,000–
13,000 euros, and in 2013, he saw another of
his “Yakoma” knives sold by a prominent auction
house for $17,500. He now knew that he
had been duped, fi nally understanding that the
creative projects that Zirngibl and others had
brought him in fact had made him a key part of
a lucrative and dishonest enterprise. He posted
his aggrieved comment on afropapa.de and thus
began the unveiling of the true provenance of
his knives.
To his credit, while he participated in questionable
activities for decades, Hebeisen has
been willing to share his story and expose the
truth, supported by the photos he had taken
of his replica knives in their various stages of
production, including his “Zande/Makaraka”
blades, of which he made at least fi fteen, identifi -
able by their fl amboyant handles (fi g. 20). Scholarly
focus on African blacksmithing techniques
involving meticulous comparisons of Hebeisen’s
knives with traditional examples undoubtedly
would have resulted in the exposure of these
forgeries sooner or later, but the fact that he has
fully acknowledged his complicity has moved
the conversation to the fore. Others involved in
this deceptive trade have declined to follow his
lead or have taken their secrets to the grave.
A clear indication of the success that Hebeisen’s
knives have achieved is what is known
as the “boomerang effect.” They are currently
being reproduced in Africa to be sold in the
West, demonstrating the African blacksmith’s
proactive response to the demands of foreign
market forces.15
NOTES
1. H. Westerdijk’s Ijzerwerk van Centraal-Afrika (1975) was
published before Fischer and Zirngibl’s Afrikanische Waffen
and was certainly comprehensive. However, it was a smaller
volume that was illustrated mostly with drawings as opposed
to Zirngibl’s book, which was illustrated with photographs.
2. Ethan Rider is in the process of establishing a defi nitive
collection of “masterpiece” examples of inauthentic African
knives in order to analyze their fabrication and formal
FIG. 17 (above left):
Hebeisen’s copper “Kota”
musele #7, photographed in
his garden and published on
Facebook in 2003.
Photo: Tilman Hebeisen.
FIGS. 18a and b (above):
An unworked copper
sheet given to Hebeisen by
Zirngibl with a rough sketch
of a “Kota” blade on one
side and inscribed on the
other “Ausgangsmaterial
Vogelkopfmesser Kupfer
Zirngibl, 10 x 160 x 360”
(Starting material, Zirngibl
copper bird-head knife,
10 x 160 x 360 mm.).
Photo by Wolf-Dieter Miersch, 2015.
/afropapa.de
