Original Item: Only one available. Once the Battle is over, the victorious have the right to stroll the field looking for spoils to bring home to remind them of their Victory. England has been full of such items but sadly in years since WW2 most everything has gone. This genuine Zulu Knobkierie is a very nice example that no doubt some young British trooper found on the battle field and brought back to England as a remembrance.

This example measures 21 inches overall, and is carved from one piece of hardwood. It is somewhat unusual in that the head, usually close to round, is pancaked so as to resemble a discus. The head is studded with iron studs and is about 3 1/2" in diameter. Intended for close quarter combat or often used as  for use as a missile. The ball showing age cracks around the outside that only form after a great number of years confirming its age to the Victorian era. Almost certainly bought back as a War Trophy by some British Trooper in the 1880's from the ZULU WARS.

Ready to display!

Hard to believe that the Zulu Native warriors destroyed most of a Regiment (24th of Foot) in 1879 being armed with clubs, spears and shields. Wonderfully recalled in the Movies ZULU and ZULU DAWN.

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 fictionalized autobiography.