Hi Colin,
thanks for your informative post
. Nearly every knobkerrie, spear and axe with the same wirework seems to be labelled 'Zulu' ....making ID'ing this difficult.
Shaka introduced the Tribute System...
"The Tribute System
He force other tribes to pay him tributes in exchange for protection. The tributes were gifts. They included cattle, furs, feathers, and carved wooden sculptures. He took control of all the precious metals. At this time they were copper and brass. The metal was used to make wooden clubs stronger. It was also used for ornaments, like neck rings and armbands. The more of these you had, the greater your importance in the tribe......."
This could suggest that some of the neighbouring tribes may have presented wire wrapped weapons as tribute payment. Interesting that the 'precious metals' for the Zulu were brass and copper (no mention of bronze ? ) I also hadn't considered the improvement in the strength of the knobkerrie with the wire covering, functional and a sign of status at the same time.
Kind Regards David