An ikul or ikula is a knife or a short sword of the
Kuba of the
Democratic Republic of Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
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Uses
The ''ikul'' consists of a leaf-shaped blade (iron or copper or wood) and a wooden handle finished with a round knob with sometimes decorative inlays. The blade has a well-marked central edge and can be decorated with engravings.
[Johanna Agthe, Karin Strauß: ''Waffen aus Zentral-Afrika.'' Dezernat für Kultur und Freizeit der Stadt Frankfurt am Main, Museum für Völkerkunde, Frankfurt, 1985. , S. 121 (Abb. 109) p. 303][Christopher Spring: ''African Arms and Armour.'' British Museum Press, London 1993, , p. 89 f.][Monica Blackmun Visonà et al.: ''A History of Art in Africa.'' Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2003. , p. 399]
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They are ceremonial knives, some of which are made solely of wood (handle and blade) and richly decorated.
[Colleen E. Kriger: ''Pride of Men: Ironworking in 19th Century West Central Africa.'' Heinemann, 1999. , p. 170]
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[
The ''ikul'' are about 35 centimetres long. According to tradition, King Shyaam aMbul aNgoong would have introduced the ''ikul'' in the seventeenth century after a long period of war. The king would then have forbidden the ''shongo'' sword to replace it with the ''ikul'', a symbol of peace.
]
Gallery
File:British Museum Room 25 Wooden ikul Ikulintey Kuba people 17022019 4913.jpg, Ikul made of wood.
File:Ceremonial knife (ikul) - Kuba - Royal Museum for Central Africa - DSC05959.JPG, Ikul.
File:Raccolte Extraeuropee - Passaré 00377 - Pugnale Kuba - Rep.Dem.Congo.jpg, Ikul of the Kuba people.
File:Brooklyn Museum 54.148 Knife.jpg, Ikul in the Brooklyn Museum
The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At , the museum is New York City's second largest and contains an art collection with around 1.5 million objects. Located near the Prospect Heights, Crown H ...
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File:Brooklyn Museum 22.1521 Knife Ikul.jpg, Ikul.
Bibliography
* Jan Elsen, ''De fer et de fierté, Armes blanches d’Afrique noire du Musée Barbier-Mueller'', 5 Continents Editions, Milan, 2003,
* Laure Meyer, ''Art and Craft in Africa: Everyday Life, Ritual, Court Art'', 1995
References
Blade weapons
African weapons
Daggers
Knives
Kuba art
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