Throwing Knife / Prestige Scepter (pingha)

1800–mid-1900s

Africa, Central or Eastern Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, and Sudan, Zande-style maker

Medium

Iron alloy and plant fiber

Measurements

Overall: 45.5 cm (17 15/16 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Donna L. and Robert H. Jackson 2015.156

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Location

Not on view

Did You Know?

Look closely at the upper blade of this throwing knife to find a representation of a lizard, and at the lower part of the shaft for a crosshatch design resembling lizard skin.

Description

Throwing knives (pingha, plural kipinga) were historically used by elite Zande men as weapons in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Carefully calibrated, they would spin when thrown or balance on the shoulder when taken into battle. Kipinga were not everyday weapons, but considered property of the king; only those fighting on his behalf like royal bodyguards and court attendants used them. One side of this blade is adorned with complex figural and geometric engravings. No longer used for fighting, kipinga are now a sign of authority and heritage.