Very old ? Zulu Assegai

[katana]

Thank you for all your replies

Hi Ron ,
personally I still feel that the short stabbing spear negated the use of the sword in Zulu culture. According to several historical sources the Iklwa spear was used to stab and slash.
A number of Polynesian cultures did have a sword type weapon in their arsenal, Due to the unavailability of metal ore most older weapons were manufactured from wood, stone, shells and animal teeth/bone. Often sharpened shells, shark teeth, knapped rock (and similar) would be tied/bonded to flatten clubs to create a serrated cutting edge.

Hi Wayne
thanks for your input, Shaka's tactics were certainly 'Romanesque', and very effective too.

Hi Tim,
yes, please post some pictures


I have read that the Zulu had 20 named types of spear (Pitt Rivers Museum)

The Iklwa (Shaka's 'brainchild') is accepted as the name of the 'stabbing spear'....however the blade has a distinctive shape with a long tapering point ...said to be around 12" long, with a shaft of around 24". (interestingly these are often shown being held mid point of the shaft ....further evidence that around 24" used as it 'working length' ??? )

Many 'stabbing spears' with provenance to the Anglo-Zulu war period have the same blade as my own posted. The question is ....are all stabbing spears Iklwa or is there another name for those with differing blade shapes ???

Also strange is the fact that Shaka's portrait (this, apparently is the only one), shows him holding an 'ordinary' spear

"Only known drawing of King Shaka standing with the long throwing assegai and the heavy shield in 1824 - four years before his death"

Kind Regards David



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