It is a Woyo dignitary's symbol.[1] It is part of the attributes of power of the Mangoyo (the king).[2] Its shape is very special and cannot be confused with any other type of African knives or swords, the handle is often made of ivory. The cimpaba is also used among the Kakongo and the Vili[3] in the Muanda region, in the lower Congo.[4]
References
^Robert Joost Willink, Stages in Civilisation : Dutch Museums in Quest of West Central African Collections (1856-1889), 2007, p.178
^Tristan Arbousse Bastide: Du couteau au sabre, Verlag Archaeopress, 2008 ISBN9781407302539, S. 85 [1]
^Manfred A. Zirngibl, Alexander Kubetz: panga na visu. Kurzwaffen, geschmiedete Kultgegenstände und Schilde aus Afrika. HePeLo-Verlag, 2009, ISBN978-3-9811254-2-9, S. 183 u. 307
Bibliography
Joseph Balu Balila, L'investiture des chefs spirituels Woyo, 1998, 81 p.
Joseph-Aurélien Cornet, Pictographies Woyo, PORO, Associazione degli Amici dell'Arte Extraeuropea, Milan, 1980, 141 p.
Harriet McGuire, « Woyo pot lids », African Arts (Los Angeles), n° 13-2, février 1980, p. 54-56.
Habi Buganza Mulinda, « Aux origines du royaume de Ngoyo », Civilisations, n°41, 1993, p. 165-187.
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