• Ngombe, D.R. Congo

• Iron, wood, brass

• Early 20th century

• 22 in. / 56 cm

Manufactured by the Ngombe ("men of the forest"), the Ngulu is a heavily decorated asymmetrical iron blade with an embellished wooden handle that is exuberant and beautiful. They were insignia of prestige, ceremonial dance implements, and valuables used for exchange (currency) (Gosseau, Tribal Arms Monographs, Vol. 1/No. 2, 1997).

The Ngulu sickle blade is often erroneously labeled an "executioner's knife" in the Western world. While many stories purport the use of these blades in executions of animals and humans, such stories seem to be more the work of Westerners intent on depicting the savagery of primitive Africa (indeed, the zeitgeist of the 19th century and early 20th) rather than the whole truth.

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