Knobkerrie, iwisa
Northern Nguni, South Africa
Wood
Early 20th century

The South African club or knobkerrie (a word deriving from Afrikaans and Hottentot) was emblematic of the Zulu people. A man always carried one, a custom that has not yet disappeared. It wasn’t used in battle, but was used in ceremonial contexts, as a “swagger stick,” and for protection. Made of heavy wood, frequently two-toned African teak, it was an effective weapon, so long as guns were not present (Ginzberg, African Forms, 2000; Spring, African Arms and Armor, 1993).

The Northern Nguni label describes a number of groups living in the former Zulu kingdom.

This piece was decommissioned from the Old Slave Mart Museum in Charleston, South Carolina in 1988.

32.5 in :: 83 cm

InventoryID #13-1146

SOLD