Root ball knobkerrie from a Zulu collection...or is it ?

tom hyle · 18th June 2011, 11:53 AM

For some reason I too thought of shilela, which, BTW should also be made of roots, and thus, AFAIK, have no thorns. Root wood is known for being tougher. I don't doubt people make shilleghlas out of blackthorn shaft rather than root, but it's improper/untraditional according to my reading.
In a further demonstration of the essential "Western"ness of African culture, shillela and knob kerrie seem to be pretty much similar items, and both are sometimes shaped by attaching iron bands to a growing root and growing the knob around them. Main difference other than local wood seems to be size of knob being more often greater on African pieces, but I've seen some pretty big shilleghla heads, too.
Contrast to American Indian clubs of similar shape, BTW, seems to me to be in the narrow flexible, even whippy shaft, while the American ones tend to be more thick and stiff.

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18th June 2011, 11:53 AM	#8
tom hyle Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Houston, TX, USA Posts: 1,254	For some reason I too thought of shilela, which, BTW should also be made of roots, and thus, AFAIK, have no thorns. Root wood is known for being tougher. I don't doubt people make shilleghlas out of blackthorn shaft rather than root, but it's improper/untraditional according to my reading. In a further demonstration of the essential "Western"ness of African culture, shillela and knob kerrie seem to be pretty much similar items, and both are sometimes shaped by attaching iron bands to a growing root and growing the knob around them. Main difference other than local wood seems to be size of knob being more often greater on African pieces, but I've seen some pretty big shilleghla heads, too. Contrast to American Indian clubs of similar shape, BTW, seems to me to be in the narrow flexible, even whippy shaft, while the American ones tend to be more thick and stiff.