Cimpaba Explained

A cimpaba (sometimes tshimphaaba or chimpaba) is a sword from the Woyo of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Uses

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]

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.

Notes and References

1. Robert Joost Willink, Stages in Civilisation : Dutch Museums in Quest of West Central African Collections (1856-1889), 2007, p.178
2. https://journals.openedition.org/civilisations/1702 Habi Buganza Mulinda, Aux origines du royaume de Ngoyo
3. Tristan Arbousse Bastide: Du couteau au sabre, Verlag Archaeopress, 2008, S. 85 https://books.google.com/books?id=uiUSAQAAIAAJ&q=Tshimphaaba
4. Manfred A. Zirngibl, Alexander Kubetz: panga na visu. Kurzwaffen, geschmiedete Kultgegenstände und Schilde aus Afrika. HePeLo-Verlag, 2009,, S. 183 u. 307