New Made Item: New production copied directly from an original in the IMA collection. As used in Southern and Eastern Africa.

The 1879 British invasion of Zululand brought swift and unexpected results. In short order most of the British Regiment of the 24th foot were attacked by surprise and totally annihilated despite their modern martini rifles against clubs and spears. Fifteen hundred men or thereabout died repelling a Zulu hoard of five thousand. Having destroyed the main column at ISANDLWANA the Zulus went on to attack the Mission Station at RORKE'S DRIFT but that was a different story remembered in the movie "ZULU".

This is a high quality reproduction of the Zulu Knobkierie war club, as used during the Zulu war and related conflicts. The knobkierie was common through out Southern and Eastern Africa, and was as tried and true design used for many years, well into the 20th century.

The name knobkierie itself derives from a combination of the Afrikaans and Nama Languages. Knop means ball in Afrikaans, while kierie signifies walking stick in Nama, resulting in the combined word.

Dimensions:

Head diameter: 3 inches

Shaft Length: 39 inches

Overall length: approx. 42 inches

A Knobkierie, also spelled knobkerrie, knopkierie or knobkerry, is a form of club used mainly in Southern and Eastern Africa. Typically they have a large knob at one end and can be used for throwing at animals in hunting or for clubbing an enemy's head. The knobkierie is carved from a branch thick enough for the knob, with the rest being whittled down to create the shaft.

The name derives from the Afrikaans word knop, meaning knot or ball and the Nama (one of the Khoekhoe languages) word kierie, meaning cane or walking stick. The name has been extended to similar weapons used by the natives of Australia, the Pacific islands and other places.

Knobkieries were an indispensable weapon of war, particularly among southern Nguni tribes such as the Zulu (as the iwisa) and the Xhosa. Knobkieries was occasionally used during World War I. The weapon also being carried by British soldiers in Siegfried Sassoon's fictionalised autobiography.