A masculine attribute, the Ikula ("of peace") knife is not a weapon but a status symbol. Moreover, this symbol of authority was only slightly sharpened. Kuba blacksmiths may have been inspired by the knives of Benin, whose shape is similar, introduced by the Dutch. It is following a royal decree that wooden knives appeared, the king forbidding iron on the nights of the full moon. The blade is crossed by a flat rib, and fine parallel lines form a ribbon pattern, following the curves of the knife. The handle is made of wood, its decorative engravings particularly refined. Several tribes make up the Kuba group, established between the Sankuru and Kasai rivers: Bushoong, Ngeendé, Binji, Wongo, Kété, etc. Each of them produced a variety of sculptures, statues, prestige objects, masks, frequently decorated with geometric motifs. The Kuba, whose name means "lightning " also produced African tools and weapons, including throwing knives, which later became trading values, and heavy war swords, Ilwoon .
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