Turkana foot knives?
 

I've seen a few mentions of these on the web as being Turkana foot knives. But the style of decoration doesn't look particularly Turkana to me. In fact I'd be happier accepting an origin of Southeast Asia, or even Birmingham.

And ... foot knives? Why not worn on the hand as knuckledusters, or tools for scraping the white stuff out of coconuts, or scraping bark off rubber trees ?

Does anybody know of any evidence linking them to East Africa, and being used as weapons worn on the feet?

I believe this to be an archer's aid for drawing a bowstring. Not sure if it was to protect the fingers from the string, or for use on the other arm, as a bracer. From West Africa.

There are also slightly similar iron objects, with a loop for the hand, but with a knife blade made integral to the piece of equipment.

I have never seen anything like that in any african collection or musea.
Foot knives :eek:

Trusty Google, reveals these not that unusual, and found one on a dealers website. Apparantly the Turkana tribes situated in Kenya are fond of having edged weapons as worn accoutrements on their wrists, fingers and feet.
The ringed finger knives and circular wrist knives are more well known.

From the book "Ata Epe - Bogen und Pfeile Afrikas" by Hendrik Wiethase 2007. Not a "Turkana foot knife"...

Is there any reference on these feet knives?

The ornate arsenals of the Turkana include a relatively wide variety of weapons. Until the advent of modern firearms, traditional Turkana men used to carry spears (akwara) with a small narrow blade, a fighting stick or knobkerrie (aselej or esebo) and a narrow shield (aupwal) made out of the hide of either a giraffe or buffalo. For close combat fighting they wore a circular wrist knife (abarait) and one or two finger knives (egolu) and finger hooks (ecorogat) which were designed to gouge out an enemy’s eyes.
http://www.sslmit.units.it/crevatin/...0CONFLICTS.htm

Not fast enough :D

I was just about to ask if this particular book had anything on these! This is more or less the bible for African archery. Thanks for posting the image Colin. :)

So, what is it?

Hello Colin,

can you try to take a picture from the text? I will translate it.

Regards,
Detlef

Many thanks for the quick replies and for posting the photo of the book: it shows the strengths of this knowledgable community !

German text in the shown book page is "Spanneisen", translating to english: "clamp"

Thanks, Sajen. Does the rest of the German text describe how it is utilized?

I think so, but have problems to read it complete, that's the reason that I ask Colin for a close up of the text.

Regards,
Detlef

Hi Detlef

Here are close-ups of the text.

Regards

Hi Colin,

thank's! :)

Here at first the translation of the left page:
By this Haussa shooter it's good to recognize the thumb-ring. The bowstring position let allude to a simple ring without appendix.

Right page:
This clamps has been ornate worked utensils of the shooters and it need some practice to effect a selective shot with it. The more simple examples as well as the wooden ones has been common at the coast, the more complex worked ones are to be found along the inner of the mainland.
D= Clamp of the Vere and Mumuye, Nigeria, 55 cm, still to recognize the position where has been attached a tail end.
E,F= Tiff and Kanga clamps ("Banda"), approx. 16 cm long.


Sorry, no further explanation how they has been utilized but when you know that 16 cm are 6,3 inch and you look to the picture I think it become clear how the were utilized, the ring is for the thumb and I think that the arrow rest on the "edge" while the bowstring was strain at the end of the curl of the clamp. At least is this my understanding of this tool/clamp. Maybe Colin can see it more clear on the picture. :shrug:

Very nice catch btw. :)

Regards,
Detlef

PERHAPS USED SOMETHING LIKE THIS. :D