Zulu warriors and weapons

[Manouchehr M.]

I will start the discussion on these fascinating warriors by posting a pic from the site:

http://www.military-art.com/dhm561.htm




weapons of Zulu:


1. Club

Courtesy of Oriental arms:





Description taken from the site:

"The Knobkerrie is used for hunting, for self protection and as a war club. It is cut and shaped from the stem of various very strong woods, with the branch used as a handle. It comes in various lengths from 15 and up to 35 inches. This specific one is 18 ½ inches long made from a dark hardwood, with 2 X 2 ½ inches round nicely symetrical head. Good condition with minor age chips to the head knob. Beautiful dark age patina. A beautiful and elegant piece and a good addition to your collection of African tools / weapon. It is offered here at a very attractive starting price. "

2)Throwing Spear of the Zulu

Courtesy of Oriental Arms






Zulus also used shields and a spear for close-in fights and stabbing. Did they use other weapons?

Regards,

Manoucher

[Geoff Wood]

Originally posted by Manoucher M.
I will start the discussion on these fascinating warriors by posting a pic from the site:

http://www.military-art.com/dhm561.htm




weapons of Zulu:


1. Club

Courtesy of Oriental arms:





Description taken from the site:

"The Knobkerrie is used for hunting, for self protection and as a war club. It is cut and shaped from the stem of various very strong woods, with the branch used as a handle. It comes in various lengths from 15 and up to 35 inches. This specific one is 18 ½ inches long made from a dark hardwood, with 2 X 2 ½ inches round nicely symetrical head. Good condition with minor age chips to the head knob. Beautiful dark age patina. A beautiful and elegant piece and a good addition to your collection of African tools / weapon. It is offered here at a very attractive starting price. "

2)Throwing Spear of the Zulu

Courtesy of Oriental Arms






Zulus also used shields and a spear for close-in fights and stabbing. Did they use other weapons?

Regards,

From the picture it appears they used rifles also. Wasn't there some stuff about the spear being shortened to encourage close disciplined fighting (as with roman gladius). It may be be mythology of course, I've not seen any primary sources of such information. Is the Islamic forum extending its reach?
Geoff

Manoucher

[Manouchehr M.]

Yes Geoff,

I checked it with Artzi and we will discuss the middle and south Africa as well.

Regards,

Manoucher

[Jim McDougall]

Manoucher,
According to Zulu tradition, Shaka was the initiator of the shortened spear, used for close quarters fighting as a thrusting weapon. This superceded the traditional method of throwing the spear. The shortened spears, actually more like a hafted sword, were termed assegai. It is interesting to note this term is also used to describe the tree from which the shafts wood is taken. The term derives from Portuguese/Arabic/berber,
az (al) zaghayah. One of many instances where Islamic influence appears outside the geographic Islamic cultural sphere, as was noted in discussing African weapons on this forum.
The Zulu themselves referred to the assegai as 'iklwa, said to describe the sound of the weapon being withdrawn from the body of the opponent.
Regards, Jim

[Manouchehr M.]

Originally posted by Jim McDougall
Manoucher,
According to Zulu tradition, Shaka was the initiator of the shortened spear, used for close quarters fighting as a thrusting weapon. This superceded the traditional method of throwing the spear. The shortened spears, actually more like a hafted sword, were termed assegai. It is interesting to note this term is also used to describe the tree from which the shafts wood is taken. The term derives from Portuguese/Arabic/berber,
az (al) zaghayah. One of many instances where Islamic influence appears outside the geographic Islamic cultural sphere, as was noted in discussing African weapons on this forum.
The Zulu themselves referred to the assegai as 'iklwa, said to describe the sound of the weapon being withdrawn from the body of the opponent.
Regards, Jim

Jim,

Thanks a lot for your information. Could you suggest a good book reading on the war style and weapons of Zulu besides Osprey series?

Regards,

Manoucher

[Jim McDougall]

Originally posted by Manoucher M.


Jim,

Thanks a lot for your information. Could you suggest a good book reading on the war style and weapons of Zulu besides Osprey series?

Regards,

Manoucher

Manoucher,


"The Anatomy of the Zulu Army: From Shaka to Cetshwayo 1818-1879" by Ian Knight, London, 1995, ISBN 1-85367-213-0

"Warrior Chiefs of Southern Africa"
Ian Knight, 1994 N.Y. ISBN 1-85314-106-2

"Shaka Zulu" E.A. Ritter, 1955

and of course;
"The Washing of the Spears:The Rise and Fall of the Zulu Nation"
Donald R. Morris, N.Y. 1965, ISBN 0-671-63108-X

Regards, Jim

[Matt Easton]

High ranking Zulus also carried axes, although there are no known instances from the 19thC of these 'noble' axes being used in combat.
The Zulus used German Mauser rifles captured from the Boars (or sold to them), and British Martini-Henry rifles, captured from the British.
The shortening of the asegai and the re-ordering of the Zulu military machine seems to have been key in their dominance of the region, subjugating the Matabele.

Matt

[Jim McDougall]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Matt Easton
[B]High ranking Zulus also carried axes, although there are no known instances from the 19thC of these 'noble' axes being used in combat.

Matt,
The true Zulu axe 'isizenze' was apparantly discouraged by Shaka for use in battle, with all his emphasis on the assegai, or iklwa as called by them. As you note, the odd shaped convex blade axes that were carried by men of status and were apparantly carried only ceremonially as far as is known. These were typically imported from neighboring regions and not at all as heavy as the Zulu axes.

It is interesting to note an obscure and understandably little discussed custom that a warrior who had killed in battle was required to engage in intimacy with a woman before he could be considered clean and reenter social life. This action was termed 'sula izembe' (lit. to wipe the axe) , and is another of the colorful Zulu metaphors such as 'washing the spears'.

Regards, Jim

[Matt Easton]

Originally posted by Jim McDougall
a warrior who had killed in battle was required to engage in intimacy with a woman before he could be considered clean and reenter social life.

Sounds fair to me!

Matt

[Martin Read]

"Wiping the Axe" was how Shaka was conceived. The chief of the (at the time) minor Zulu clan, Sezangakhona met an E'Langeni maiden called Nandi. Unfortunately he went a little too far ( the "act" was intended to allow only limited penetration as a form of contraception) and impregnated the girl.

When later confronted by the pregnant Nandi he dismissed her saying she had a intestinal parasite - "u-shaka" or a "worm in the belly".

In the time of Shaka's successor (and murderer) Dingane, throwing spears were re-introduced, possibly as an inadequate response to Boer firepower, though ixlwas were still retained for close combat. Before acquiring breechloaders the Zulus had access to flintlock "trade muskets". As most Zulus apparently closed their eyes when firing guns and rifles their marksmanship was probably never of the highest order.

[derek]

Just thought I'd offer a link to a modern interpretation of the assegai, made by Cold Steel:

http://www.coldsteel.com/assjav.html

And if anybody from Cold Steel reads this forum, I'd like to recommend that you rename this .html page.

regards,
-d