Bongo knife

1884.140.593

Sudan

[Southern Sudan]

Bongo

by 1858

Animal Bone , Animal Hide Skin

Carved , Perforated , Stained , Polished

L = 327 mm; handle end L = 24.5 mm, W = 22.3 mm, Th = 11.5 mm; handle body W = 13.8 mm, Th = 13 mm; W across spurs = 30.5 mm, Th spurs = 4 mm; blade W = 42.3 mm, Th = 13.3 mm at rib, 2 mm near edge; loop W = 4 mm, Th = 1 mm [RTS 2/7/2004].

95.6 g

Collected by Petherick between 1856 and 1858, and shipped back to England in 1859. Acquired by Pitt Rivers at an auction of Petherick's material, held by Mr Bullock of High Holborn, London, on 27th June 1862, as part of lot 87 - see the Catalogue of the v

John Petherick

Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers founding collection

Donated 1884; found unentered and accessioned 2nd July 2004.

1856 - 1858

Knife carved from a single piece of bone and consisting of a short, disc-shaped handle end with flat top and sides, flaring in to a cylindrical body; both handle and knob are oval in section. A circular hole has been bored through the handle body just below the knob; a narrow strip of hide has been passed through this hole and the ends knotted together, creating a suspension loop; this is dark grayish brown (Pantone 7519C). On the other end of the handle two triangular spurs project out from the body, and then a long leaf-shaped blade, with the line of the handle continuing as a raised, rounded rib running down the centre of the blade on either side, becoming more shallow just before the tip. The edges of the spurs and blade have been decorated with a series of small v-shaped notches. On the thicker spurs and lower blade these have been cut as separate notches along both upper and lower edges; as the blade becomes thinner, these are reduced to a single stroke across this face. The knife has a slight curve running along both handle and blade. The original colour of the raw material appears to be yellow, but this has been stained, with one side a warm yellowish brown (Pantone 731C) and the other a much darker reddish brown colour (Pantone 4975C). Both surfaces have been highly polished. The object is complete, except for a small chip from the side. The knife weighs 95.6 grams and has a length of 327 mm; the handle end measures 24.5 by 22.3 mm, and is 11.5 mm thick; the handle body measures 13.8 by 13 mm; the width across the triangular spurs is 30.5 mm, while they have a thickness of 4 mm; the blade has a maximum width of 42.3 mm, is 13.3 mm thick at the central rib and 2 mm thick near the edge. The hide loop is around 4 mm wide and 1 mm thick. It seems unlikely that this object was designed to function as a cutting blade, as the edges are too dull, and so its significance may have been rather as an emblem or status object of some kind.

Collected by Petherick between 1856 and 1858, and shipped back to England in 1859. Acquired by Pitt Rivers at an auction of Petherick's material, held by Mr Bullock of High Holborn, London, on 27th June 1862, as part of lot 87 - see the Catalogue of the very interesting collection of arms and implements of war, husbandry, and the chase, and articles of costume and domestic use, procured during several expeditions up the White Nile, Bahr-il-Gazal, and among the various tribes of the country, to the cannibal Neam Nam territory on the Equator, by John Petherick, Esq., H.M. Consul, Khartoum, Soudan, p. 7 "[Lot] 87. A woman’s hard wood knife (Dor)..." Pitt Rivers subsequently sent this object to Bethnal Green Museum for display, as part of the first batch of objects sent there, probably in 1874. This object was later displayed in the South Kensington Museum, and transferred from there to become part of the founding collection of the Pitt Rivers Museum in 1884.

This object is illustrated in Petherick's unpublished sketchbook, currently held in the archives of the Wellcome Library, MS 5789 (p.14).

Rachael Sparks 30/9/2005.

Accession book VIII entry - [p. 49] - Africa, Sudan. Bone knife carved in one piece with a cylindrical handle and leaf-shaped blade with notched edges. The surface has been stained a reddish brown colour and then highly polished. Used by women, BONGO tribe. Found unentered in Lower Gallery storage; details written on two labels tied to the object and on the knife blade match Black Book entry 1843a and the entry in Delivery Catalogue II, p. 234. It was misidentified as ivory on the object marking, and wood in PRM records - conservation suggest the knife is made of bone. Collected by John Petherick (RTS 2/7/2004).
Black book entry [p. 77] Spoons & Vessels used for drinking. Substitutes for Pottery. [p. 80] [insert] C[ase] 2 [end insert]. 1843a. Leaf-shaped implement of hard wood, described as a woman's knife, Dor tribe, Central Africa, Obt[aine]d by Petherick. Blade serrated (3710).
Delivery Catalogue II entry [p. 230] - Combs Pipes etc [p. 234] [ditto marks, = Wood knife] for women, Dor negroes. 1843a [Case or screen] 109, 284.
?Pre-PRM label - Leaf shaped implement of hard wood described as a "Woman's knife Dor tribe of Negroes Cent. Africa. Obtained by Consul Petherick on his first discovery of these people. Petherick sa[le] [rectangular brown tag, tied with green ribbon; attached to object, RTS 2/7/2004].
Old Pitt Rivers Museum label - 1843A [cream tag, originally tied to object with wire; wire replaced with cotton by RTS on 2/7/2004].
Written on object - IVORY "WOMAN'S KNIFE" DOR TRIBE, CEN[TRAL]. AFRICA, CONSUL PETHERICK [Coated with a clear lacquer; RTS 2/7/2004].

The knife was displayed in the Bethnal Green and South Kensington Museums (V&A) [AP; RTS 2/7/2004].

Catalogue of the very interesting collection of arms and implements of war, husbandry, and the chase, and articles of costume and domestic use, procured during several expeditions up the White Nile, Bahr-il-Gazal, and among the various tribes of the country, to the cannibal Neam Nam territory on the Equator, by John Petherick, Esq., H.M. Consul, Khartoum, Soudan, p. 7 "[Lot] 87. A woman’s hard wood knife (Dor)..."