Spears, for want of a better word, are a real can of worms.
To the best of my knowledge almost all African spears have some sort of counterbalance on the end, ranging for a simple tighly wound oiece of crude iron to all sorts of elaborate shapes, with the wide "scaper" type common to at least a dozen tribal subgroups.
You'll also find spikes of all lengths, rods and in one case even a bell, complete w/clapper.
Freddy was kind enough to send me a compilation of regional forms a few years back that was quite comprehensive.
The heads, likewise cover a wide range with some of the most unbelievable shapes imaginable and one N African barbed type that was even the basis for a tribal "summit meeting" where they agreed not to make or use them as there were no "flesh wounds"...if you were hit, you were maimed...period!
Madagascar has it's own native spears, axes and such, plus was widely visited from the mainland over the centuries as well with trading a common occurance.
To make matters WORSE many tribes never acieved metal working skills, thus trade was extremely widespread with each group often re-hilting, modifying , re-dressing, etc. to the point that it was common to find spears 1,000 miles outside of their original range.
Surprisingly (to me anyway) the majority of tanged spearheads and spears without a vounterweight on the butt are almost all of S. African origin (Zulu, Swazi, etc, etc)
People often think the spear butt had to had a purpose....wrong!
Very often a weapon or weapon piece had a symbolic meaning in the form that often was counteproductive to actual use, but would rather die than use another shape, for fear of upsetting the Gods, ancestors or spirits.
In Africa the other tribes and wild animals were often of lesser importance than the spirit world, with any death outside of being killed in battle or eaten by wildlife (the only "natural deaths") directly attribtable to witchcraft and sorcery.
Mike
|