Good point about the Rwanda sword, Tim. The similarities in the scabbards and concept are clear.
The Zulu had a number of offshoots that went north, in the early 19th century, one getting as far as the southern edge of Lake Victoria seemingly. So its quite possible for the Shi sword/knife to derive from the Shona pattern. The Matabele, who used some Shona weapons, were of course originally derived from a Zulu migration.
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