This imposing knife appears to have had a martial rather than domestic function, and comes originally from the Grasslands of Cameroon. The handle is long, and highly polished with usage and age. It has a narrow blade, widening to a spatula-like eminence then narrowing to a small point; one edge is sharpened, the back being blunt. It is thus not a throwing knife, and may have had application for clearing fields as well as its evidently murderous purpose.
The Bali are one of the numerous kingship-based polities of the Cameroon Grasslands: other such groups include the Bamun and Bamileke. Their artworks are based around the court system, and their weaponry designed for the extensive battles that have traditionally defined this area. This is an impressive piece of Africana that would be equally at home in a collection or sophisticated domestic setting.