What Is It? - #38

S

SifuPhil

R.I.P. With Us In Spirit Only
Location
Pennsylvania, USA
Today's offering should more properly be called What Are They?, since I'm showing TWO - yes, TWO! - of the same items. They are both from the mid-to-late 19[SUP]th[/SUP] century and they certainly serve the same function, but look quite different.

The first item is this one, made of forged iron from 1858:

mystery antique 38-b.jpg

And the second hails from the late 1890's, of the same construction:

mystery antique 38-a.jpg



WHAT ARE THEY?
 

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That's what I was thinking, Jillaroo. Some kinda sythe. But . . . no . . . Phil wouldn't make it that easy... Unless, he's losing his touch.
 
Jillaroo said:
Are they used for slashing grass etc Phil ?
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Diwundrin said:
What about for cutting and stirring curds in cheesemaking or something?

...or then again they could be Klingon.
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That Guy said:
That's what I was thinking, Jillaroo. Some kinda sythe. But . . . no . . . Phil wouldn't make it that easy... Unless, he's losing his touch.
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Silvery Diva said:
Is it something to stir up a fire in the fireplace?:confused:
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Pappy said:
Something to do with shaping wood?
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SeaBreeze said:
Fish gaff?
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Not for grass, not for curds,
(They're not Klingon, mark my words)
Not a scythe nor used to stir
A fire when it's cold out - brrr!
It's not to do with shaping wood
For gaffing fish it's just no good

Great guesses all!
 
george-marks-puzzled-businessman-scratching-his-head.jpg
 
Michael. said:
Type of gate latch?
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Not a gate latch - that would be awesome, though, wouldn't it? ;)

Happyflowerlady said:
How about an ice pick ?
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Not an ice pick, no, sorry.

Jillaroo said:
Are these tools used for hunting, beheading the animals etc lol
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Boo's Mom said:
A weapon to kill something?
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That Guy said:
Sure looks that way doesn't it...
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DING! DING! DING!

We have TRIPLE winnas!!! I tell ya', folks, the winnas are comin' fast and furious lately!

Jillaroo, Boo's Mom and That Guy all deduced that these are a type of weapon. As it turns out they are throwing knives known variously as “Shongo”, “Kpinga”, “Sapa” and one of the most popular (probably an butchered version of one of it’s tribal names) “Hunga-Munga”, used by African tribes (most successfully by the Banda) to both hunt animals and for war.

Congrats to Jillaroo, Boo's Mom and That Guy for once again proving their prowess!

Coming up for What Is It? #39 we have a special guest presenter -
watch for it in your favorite Senior Forum, coming soon! :welcoming:
 
Something for lifting logs, or holding them in place???


OOPS, too late, lol. Congrats, everyone!!!!! :D
 
Diwundrin said:
First thing I thought when I saw the first one was, "looks a handy thing to have in a dark alley".... should have gone with that.
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Interesting that you say that ... in researching these things I found that the general consensus was that they were throwing knives, but a small and respectable minority claimed that these weapons were far too heavy and unwieldy to use that way. Their claim was that they were more "fashion accessories" for the young males of the tribe - they would carry them around during their leisure time to show the local girls how manly they were. It was also thought that these might have been used for self-defense against the various pests and carnivores that frequently came into the tribal villages.

Beats a pocket knife, I suppose ... :p
 
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