Knobkierrie

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A simple knobkierrie

Knobkierrie, also spelled knobkerrie, knopkierie or knobkerry, are African clubs 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.[1] This knobkierrie is carved from a branch thick enough for the knob, the rest being whittled down to create the shaft.

The name derives from the Afrikaans word knop, meaning knot or ball and the 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.

Knobkierries were an indispensable weapon of war, particularly among southern Nguni tribes such as the Zulu (as the iwisa) and the Xhosa.

During the Great War the knobkierrie was occasionally used.[2][3] The weapon is reported carried by British soldiers in Siegfried Sassoon's fictionalised autobiography of his service in France during World War One, Memoirs of an Infantry Officer.

During the apartheid era in South Africa they were often carried and used by protesters and sometimes by the police opposing them.[4][5]

Knobkierries are still widely carried, especially in rural areas. The weapon is employed at close quarters, or as a missile, and in time of peace may serve as a walking-stick.

The head, or knob, is often ornately carved with faces or shapes that have symbolic meaning. The knobkierie itself serves this function in the crest of the 2000 new coat of Arms of South Africa[6] and also features on the Order of Mendi for Bravery.[7] A knobkierrie also appeared on the flag of Lesotho 1987-2006, and on the coat of arms of Lesotho since independence in 1966.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Rudolph, C. J. A guide for the Zulu court interpreter. Pietermaritzberg: Shuter & Shooter. 
  2. ↑ Canada in the Great World War : an authentic account of the military history of Canada from the earliest days to the close of the war of the nations. Toronto: United Publishers of Canada. 1918. 
  3. ↑ Dawson, Alec John (1918). A "Temporary gentleman" in France; home letters from an officer at the front. London, New York: Putnam. p. 94. 
  4. ↑ "Amnesty Hearing - Vlisi Thokozani Manqele". Department of Justice and Constitutional Development. 1999-02-01. Retrieved 2008-11-27. 
  5. ↑ "Amnesty Hearing - Victor Mthandeni Mthembu". Department of Justice and Constitutional Development. 1998-07-06. Retrieved 2008-11-27. 
  6. ↑ "National Coat of Arms". South African Government Information. Retrieved 2008-11-27. 
  7. ↑ "National Orders". The Presidency of the Republic of South Africa. Retrieved 2008-11-27. 

Suggested Reading

Dougherty, Terri. Zulu Warriors. New York: Capstone Press. (2008)

Journal of Natal and Zulu history. University of Natal. Dept. of History. Durban: South Africa. (1992)

Knight, Ian. The Zulus. London: Osprey Press. (1989)

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