Executioner's Knife

This is an African knife or short sword, described as a 'Chieftain's head axe from the Belgian Congo'. It was probably not used to fight, but to execute prisoners and lawbreakers within the tribe. Its blade is thick and heavy, with a large hook-like crescent at the top (giving it axe-like properties) and two smaller crescents cut out of the blade. The bottom of the hilt is made up of two stacked flattened eliptical shapes with a pommel fixed below. This design appears to be widespread in the Congo, with many similar examples attributed to various peoples.