Mpuku
The Mpuku is a traditional African sword or short sword . It is mainly used by the Salampasu but also by the Chokwe , Dinga , Lwalwa and the southern Kete . These ethnic groups live in the southwest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo . With the Salampasu, the status weapon is part of initiation rites for boys.
description
The sword has a double-edged, curved blade. Just before the handle and in place , the blade is triangular on each side. The handle is made of wood and is decorated with carvings . The scabbard consists of two wooden sides, which are covered with animal skin and decorated in different ways . The total length is about 60 cm.
Web links
- Mpuku at Woolley & Wallis Auctioneers
- different Mpuku at Orienal Arms : [1] , [2] , [3] , [4] , [5] , [6]
- Ba Salampasu Sword at Galerie Ezakwantu ( Memento from January 1, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Manfred A. Zirngibl , Alexander Kubetz: panga na visu. Handguns, forged cult objects and shields from Africa. HePeLo-Verlag, Riedlhütte 2009, ISBN 978-3-9811254-2-9 pp. 213, 312
- ↑ a b Christopher Spring: African arms and armor. Smithsonian Institution Press, 1993, ISBN 978-1-56098-317-0 . P. 92
- ↑ a b Knife with sheath , National Museum of African Art
- ^ Johanna Agthe , Karin Strauss: Arms from Central Africa , Museum für Völkerkunde , 1985, ISBN 3-88270-354-7 , p. 123.