Knobkerrie origin ID please.
 

Hi,
picked up a nice knobkerrie ....the handle has very fine engraved lines which may help to ID it's origins. I have assumed Zulu (Shona?) but it seems nearly all of this 'type' are attributed to them. Seems to have some age (late 19th, early 20th ?) Not totally symmetrical, so likely hand tooled rather than 'turned' on a lathe. 90 cms ( 36") OAL, circumference of knob 23cms (9"). A nice 'tactile' object.

All help and comments gratefully received, thank you

Kind Regards David

Hi David

So your the one who won this nice example :) It is hard to place the age but definitely an older example. I'm guessing It's Swazi circa 1920-30 but it could be a bit older.

Congrats

Lew

Hi Lew :) ,
thanks for your input.....yes, I think lucky to have bought this relatively cheaply..... makes up for the Zulu stick you recently posted :p ;) I forgot to bid on that one....and the seller ( Roy, a nice guy) only lives a few miles away.....Doh !!!

The inscribed lines are quite subtle and not very deep ...almost like what you see on 'scrimshaw' ...but surprisingly it does add a lot to the 'grippiness' of the handle. The wood grain/patterning is very similar to the 'two tone' types..without the colouration. Is there a reason that you feel its Swazi ?

Best Regards David

The reason I thought it was Swazi is the length at 36inches long with a larger head it just reminds me of the clubs I have seen them carry. The only problem is the Swazi clubs are offset so I may be wrong here? Either way it is a real nice example. :)

Thanks again Lew :) , this is the first knobkerrie that I have seen with fine lines engraved at the handle end and had hoped that this would aid the ID ....perhaps it's just a personal 'touch' by the original owner :shrug:

All the best

David