Zulu wire wrapped Club or Staff
 

Hello.
I just picked this up the other day in an antique shop, tucked away with umbrellas and canes. To me it appears to be a Zulu Knobkerrie with bi-color wirework, but I've never seen one covered with this much wire. It even has the traditional bands that are normally found on these clubs, but they are connected to the overall weaving. The weaving is so tightly executed, that you can see where it conforms to the small bumps along the branch under the wire. I took pics of the club next to a 32" fairly standard club that I already had, for size and weaving comparison. Has anyone seen something like this before? I haven't been able to track down any similar examples.

Thanks,
Joe

Wow that was a great find :) I just love those types of stories. Looks Zulu but it could be Shona?

Congrats

Hi Lew,
Would this still be considered a club with a head that small, or is it more of a staff? I'm used to seeing them similar in shape/size to the one that I have in the pics for comparison.

Thanks,
Joe

Your knobkerrie is a status piece it was not meant to be used as a war club. Probably belonged to a higher ranking person in the tribe.

Lew,
Thanks again for your help.

Best regards,
Joe

WIRE WRAPPED ZULU IKLWA
 

This is from my collection , picked it up at the big military show in Ciney Belgium 10 years ago. Assume it must have belonged to an eminent tribal member as like your club it is almost entirely wire wrapped.