Azande weapons

[Gluteus Maximus]

Looks like the pattern is woven into the shield, rather than painted on.  It appears to be in exactly the same position on both sides.  That should really tax your painting skills!

It won't tax mine as I don't have any worth speaking of 

Large blobs of almost geometric shapes is the best I can do, so I leave the fiddly stuff to all the great painters on the LAF and then gasp and applaud as they display their masterpieces here 

[sukhe_bator]

I can highly recommend the excellent British Museum publication by Christopher Spring 'African Arms & Armour'
Arranged geographically its an excellent survey from top to bottom of the continent. A mine of info for all your colonial african weapon needs.

Apart from their obvious uses (as demonstrated in the Mummy Returns) I seem also to remember something about the Congo throwing knives being used for barter as sources of good iron... ie. the more complicated the shape the better quality the metal used or something to that effect. I think the reasoning was along the same lines as Viking pattern welded swords being so highly prized because the conspicuous patterning which demonstrated the quality of the steel used.

[Gluteus Maximus]

I can highly recommend the excellent British Museum publication by Christopher Spring 'African Arms & Armour'
Arranged geographically its an excellent survey from top to bottom of the continent. A mine of info for all your colonial african weapon needs.

Apart from their obvious uses (as demonstrated in the Mummy Returns) I seem also to remember something about the Congo throwing knives being used for barter as sources of good iron... ie. the more complicated the shape the better quality the metal used or something to that effect. I think the reasoning was along the same lines as Viking pattern welded swords being so highly prized because the conspicuous patterning which demonstrated the quality of the steel used.

Seems reasonable, as they must have required a lot of steel, time and effort to make. I'd certainly hesitate to hurl one into the bush, with the obvious chance of never seeing it again. Spears are a much more economical throwing weapon. I can see the logic of them being more status symbols than bona-fide combat weapons.

[Plynkes]

They also made them from copper, purely to use as currency, with no practical combat application intended at all.

[AKULA]

Slightly off topic, but this chap has got stacks of Foundry Darkest Africa up for sale if anyone is interested.


http://shop.ebay.co.uk/merchant/davet329_W0QQQ5ftrkparmsZ65Q253A12Q257C66Q253A2Q257C39Q253A1Q257C72Q253A2140QQ_trksidZp3911Q2ec0Q2em14?_pgn=3

 

[Gluteus Maximus]

Dave Thomas, is/was ? Foundry's agent at the UK shows.

Nice chap and very good to do business with.

[sukhe_bator]

The distinction between practical and ritual/ceremonial is blurred with most Ethnographic weapons. Azande 'kpinga' were used as weapons. The iron was good so if you lost one, no doubt someone else would benefit from your bad luck. They were also traded and those made from copper were almost exclusively used as currency.
Spring devotes an entire chapter to these unusual weapons in all their bewildering complexity. This plate from Spring's book shows some of the forms and early attempts by Europeans to 'Classify' the shapes. I cannot recommend this book too highly. A must for you Darkest Africa devotees out there...