Mabo throwing knives, collectively known as ndo, were used as weapons of war, prestige objects, and currency blades. At the turn of the 20th century, nearly all Ngbaka Mabo men carried spears and a throwing knife whenever they left their villages, even in times of peace. Men used the knives more often as handweapons than as throwing weapons in combat, but a knife like this one was far more often a prestige accessory rather than a weapon. In the hands of lineage heads, hunting chiefs, and religious specialists, throwing knives were signs of authority and rank.

---