Sword, Ngombe, Congo, Africa. The early NINETEENTH century.

Is known as Ngombe a population centralized in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Ethnic-saharan africa, its population is mostly christian (although some retain their traditional beliefs), and employ a language of its own subdivided into numerous dialects. Ngombe means “people of the water”, and his life revolves around the river Congo: they are fishermen, farmers, and trade, thanks to the current river.

This type of swords have sacrificed its utilitarian function for the benefit of the decoration: the forms of the sheet to work with dedication and hollowed out the area closest to the grip. On the sheet presents a series of motifs and linear geometric elements. Traditionally, it was believed that the animal skin that covered the grip, gave the object magical properties. This type of weapon was reserved for the dignitaries Ngombe as a symbol of social distinction, hence the pre-eminence of the decoration on the utility.