Hunga Munga

The mambele is a bladed weapon used by African cultures south of Lake Chad. It consists of an iron blade with a curved back section and rearward spike. It can be used in close combat, or more typically thrown.

Also known as a hunga munga, the weapon is called danisco by the Marghi, goleyo by the Musgu, and njiga by the Bagirmi. These African iron weapons are thrown with a rotatory motion, and inflict deep wounds with their projecting blades. They vary constantly in form and their use extends across Africa from the Upper Nile on the east through Central Africa by Lake Chad to the Africans of the Gabon in West Africa. In parts of Central Africa, these weapons assume the form of a bird's head. when was this made and used?

Pop culture references

• The character Buffy Summers uses the weapon in the episode "Anne" in the third season of the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and a moment from the episode was featured in the opening credits for several seasons thereafter.

• The weapon was featured in the second season of Deadliest Warrior as one of the weapons of the Zande Warrior, where it was called a kpinga.

• A variant of the weapon was used in the movie 'Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time by a character called Seso.

External links

• Poppe, Guido T. Collection of mambeles, Belgium