Subject: mercenary warrior
Culture: tribal Congolese = Azande, Mongo, Ngombe, others
Setting: Belgian Congo late 19th-early 20thc
Evolution: ... > 1878 Congolese warrior
Context (Event Photos, Primary Sources, Secondary Sources, Field Notes)
* Vandervort 1998 p139
"In the beginning the private army King Leopold had decreed into existence in 1886, the Force Publique, was composed largely of African mercenaries recruited outside the Congo. Of the original 2,000 other ranks of the force, only 111 were Congolese. Preference in early recruiting was given to that much sought after 'martial race', the Hausas of the Central Sudan. In the end, however, these foreign mercenaries proved to be too expensive and local recruiting was intensified. In 1891, chiefs were ordered to produce a certain number of recruits per year, and a militia was founded from which men could be drafted to fill out the ranks in emergencies. In 1900 the term of enlistment in the Force Publique was raised from five to seven years. The Free State also used large numbers of irregulars in its campaigns. The Azande people of the north Congo and the Batetela people, who lived between the Sankuru and the Lomami rivers in the south central area of the Congo, were frequently employed in this capacity. The main attraction was the promise of booty."
* Hochschild 1998 p
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* Spring 1993 p
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Spear
* Richardson 2015 p72
"[B]arbed spears of all-iron construction were used in southern Sudan, associated with the Azande and called baasoo."
* Spring 1993 p
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Shield
* Spring 1993 p
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Swords (Girafe/Mambeli, Kumu, Ngala)
* Higgins Armory Museum > Scimitars to Samurai
"Blade Weapons of the Congo
[T]he astounding variety of Congolese blade weapons ... is unparalleled elsewhere in the world. The bold, asymmetrical blades come in all shapes and sizes; different styles served to identify the bearer's family, tribe, age, or social affiliations."
* Withers/Capwell 2010 p79
"Congolese Ngala knives appear in three main forms. The first is very long, double-edged and curved in a shallow, graceful arc. The second is shorter and wider, the blade often tear-shaped with one or two ridges. The third is almost a form of machete -- wide-bladed and long, decorated with ridges, profuse file-lines and cross-hatching. The leading edge is recurved and the trailing edge cut into a series of cuspings, the point forming a stout hook. These knives were often taken to be decapitation implements, but are more likely to have had ceremonial significance. Closely related to the Ngala knife is that of the neighbouring Ndjembo. This is of similar length but straight until it divides into two long points that curve inwards in a crescent shape."
Body Art
* Secret Museum of Mankind caption
"ARMOR OF MAGIC WAR PAINT SHIELDS THESE WARRIORS
When these warriors of the Belgian Congo prepare for a fight they do not put their trust solely in their shields and weapons, but daub themselves in magic paint that has been charmed by their magicians. Unfortunately, if the enemy use stronger magic, the paint is no protection."
Throwing Knife
* Coe/Connolly/Harding/Harris/Larocca/Richardson/North/Spring/Wilkinson 1993 p216 (Christopher Spring, "African hilt weapons" p204-217)
"Among the Zande of northeast Zaire and adjacent parts of Sudan, a battle would take the form of a large number of individual combats between opponents facing each other in two long lines, no more than a dozen yards apart. The throwing knife or kpinga could only be carried by members of the king's regular army and was considered to be mara ngbanga or 'court metal', to be used on the king's behalf to fight his battles. Therefore, before the weapon could be thrown, a warrior had to declare his intention of doing so to his opponent, lest he should be thought to be throwing away court metal out of fear. Given the great value placed on spears and throwing knives by the Zande, it seems possible that these highly ritualized martial encounters may on occasion have been an elaborate means of exchanging wealth.
"[...] If the Zande warrior's skill with the throwing knife was effective against men on foot, would it not have been devastatingly effective against mounted warriors? So much of the culture of Sudanic Africa has been shaped by the combined power of man and horse that it is not unreasonable to speculate that the throwing knife may have evolved as a means of resisting and counteracting this power, even that it acquired some of its magical qualities by serving this purpose."
* Diagram Group 2000 p39-40
"The Azande are famous for the shongo, a multibladed throwing knife. The shongo spins as it flies, so it does the maximum amount of harm to an enemy. The Azande smiths make the knives of copper or steel and decorate them with elaborate patterns."
* Spring 1993 p70
"The Zande kpinga, an example of the southern type of throwing knife, is one of the few varieties whose aerodynamic qualities are well attested and whose consistent use as a missile (amongst other functions) has been well documented. In fact, from a purely utilitarian point of view, it is true to say that the majority of southern throwing knives are far better designed for use as missiles than many of the heavier northern varieties."
* Spring 1993 p79
"This weapon [kpinga] was used not only by the Avongara, the ruling class of the Azande, but also, in varying forms, by a wide variety of peoples who came under Zande influence including the Adio and Bombeh to the east and northeast, the Bongo and Kreish to the northwest, and the Banda, Nzakara and Ngbandi to the west. Petherick's account of 1858 is one of the earliest descriptions of the 'Niam Niam', as the Azande and related peoples were referred to in the nineteenth century:
Their arms consist of smooth and barbed lances, and a large oblong shield, formed of closely-woven matting, composed of several patterns, and dyed with many colours. In the centre of the interior is a wooden handle, to which are attached two or three singlularly-formed iron projectiles, resembling a boomerang of rather a circular form, bearing on their peripheries several sharp projections. Attached to the girdle, a strong leather sheath containing a knife, hilt downwards, is worn by every 'Neam Neam'."
* Higgins Armory Museum > Scimitars to Samurai
"Some of these types are occasionally referred to as 'throwing knives.' Only a few varieties are actually balanced for throwing, and even these have ranges under 50 yards, making them less effective than the spears and arrows traditionally used by African warriors. But the eye-catching shapes also served for intimidation and display, making the weapons useful as symbols of status and masculinity. Ornamented versions often served as emblems of leadership, or as ritual tools in the hands of healers, and some variants were even created to be used as money."
* Pitt Rivers Museum online > Kpinga (1915.45.1)
"Kpinga are one of the few undisputed functional African throwing knives, with considerable documentary evidence of their use in battle. They are one of the southern 'winged' types, which are more aerodynamic than the northern 'F-shaped' types (the latter are also on display in the same case in the Museum).
"Kpinga were carried into battle in a very specific way; inside large, oblong Zande shields. The back of these shields feature a central iron disc over which, traditionally, four kpinga were hung. When the Azande went into battle, they would close on the enemy to wiithin about ten metres. The warrior threw two to four spears before releasing his kpinga. This action was always preceded by a call to alert companions to what he was doing, to show he was not simply throwing this valuable weapon away in the bush. Since Zande warfare rarely progressed to furious hand-to-hand engagement, it is possible this call was also a 'fair play' warning to all.
"The kpinga was thrown in a particular way depending on its target. The presence of three blades set at different angles ensured that at whatever point it struck it was sure to inflict some damage, the large blade effecting a slice and the smaller blades delivering punctures. Even a blow by the blunt handle might cause considerable impact injury. The weapon was first bent slightly under the foot, and then either thrown over-arm, almost vertical, so that it flew at head height in a curving arc, or under-arm, almost horizontal, so that it flew at knee-height. It seems the skill in avoiding the former was crouching behind the tall, three-quarter length shield, while avoiding the latter involved a more acrobatic and well-timed leap. It has also been said that African throwing knives were also thrown in the low fashion in order to sever the legs of cavalry horses. Even if a high-thrown knife caught on a shield it might cut through it or rebound into other warriors nearby."
