Early 20th C Zulu walking stick ??

katana · 4th July 2010, 06:10 PM

Recently bought this walking stick. Seems Zulu ....hand made ( not cut on a lathe) . The square 'sectioned' spiral is very neatly done, shaft not completely round, slight bend and the knob is not symetrical.

A later, small steel ferrule (old) is fitted to the 'foot'. Has a nice balance...if used 'sword-like' (with the knob as the pommel....the spiralling is perfectly positioned for the thumb, giving excellent 'control' ....maybe just coincidental

)

I was under the impression that a number of Zulu sticks / knobkerries were brought back during late 19thC - early 20thC and were 'slightly modified' for the walking use of the Gentleman 'about town'.
Could this stick be one of them ??

All comments gratefully received, thank you

David

kronckew · 4th July 2010, 08:05 PM

aha! so you're the one that beat me in the bidding, i should have added a few pounds to my bid... glad it went to a fellow forumite tho.

i believe it was marked as 'lignum vitae' which is the heaviest wood & does not come from africa. zulu's used Umhlebe (also called Umguna), a.k.a. 'assegai wood' (european name for Curtisia Faginea) a dogwood family member also known as lance wood. i believe the specific gravity of lignum vitae is heavier than water, assegai wood is just under, so the question is does it float?

african ebony and ironwood can also be denser than water tho i'm not sure if zulu's used it either.

edited:

just tried my knobkerry, which was supposedly made from 'assegai wood'. it sank like a rock...

water=62.4 lb/cu.ft.
Curtisia Faginea=56 lb/cu.ft.
lignum vitae/ironwood = 70-90 lb/cu. ft.

katana · 4th July 2010, 11:46 PM

Hi Wayne,
I'll take it into the bath with me ....for purely scientific reasons ...although I could also test it's functionality on 'poor' rubber duckie

I'm confident that it is Assegai wood, I'll report back with the result

Kind Regards David

graeme gt · 5th July 2010, 12:37 AM

Hi Guys, I thought it was Red Ivory .

katana · 5th July 2010, 02:57 PM

Well, the stick immediately sank like a stone. Hi Graeme, there is a slight 'reddish' tinge to some areas of the lighter coloured grain, but I do not think its 'natural' to the wood.

Can I conclude that this is indeed Zulu .... and does late 19th -early 20th seem reasonable date wise ?

I am still intrigued with the spiralling. As I mentioned before it provides excellent grip if the stick was used 'sword-like' and is positioned where it provides a good balance. With the Zulu tradition of stick fighting and knobkerrie use... I wonder whether such 'defence canes' were used using techniques from both disciplines ?

Regards David

kronckew · 5th July 2010, 03:19 PM

most works on using a cane i've seen combine swordlike strikes and thrusts with the ball (or handle) acting as a pommel and counterbalance & as something to prevent the cane being pulled out of your control. they also emphasise using the pommel as a striking surface, including holding it nearer the opposite end and swinging it like a mace or knobkerry. of course these strikes could also be used with a sword. holding the blade and thwacking an opponent on the head with the pommel were well know techniques back when they might mean survival. a cane can and should be used with both hands active.

there is a well known cane maker in the states that uses a spiral fluting all the way down the canes as a trade mark. the edges, bumps and lumps increase the damage done by a strike using them.

Linky for reference.

4th July 2010, 06:10 PM	#1
katana Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Kent Posts: 2,653	Early 20th C Zulu walking stick ?? Recently bought this walking stick. Seems Zulu ....hand made ( not cut on a lathe) . The square 'sectioned' spiral is very neatly done, shaft not completely round, slight bend and the knob is not symetrical. A later, small steel ferrule (old) is fitted to the 'foot'. Has a nice balance...if used 'sword-like' (with the knob as the pommel....the spiralling is perfectly positioned for the thumb, giving excellent 'control' ....maybe just coincidental ) I was under the impression that a number of Zulu sticks / knobkerries were brought back during late 19thC - early 20thC and were 'slightly modified' for the walking use of the Gentleman 'about town'. Could this stick be one of them ?? All comments gratefully received, thank you David Attached Images

4th July 2010, 08:05 PM	#2
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,178	aha! so you're the one that beat me in the bidding, i should have added a few pounds to my bid... glad it went to a fellow forumite tho. i believe it was marked as 'lignum vitae' which is the heaviest wood & does not come from africa. zulu's used Umhlebe (also called Umguna), a.k.a. 'assegai wood' (european name for Curtisia Faginea) a dogwood family member also known as lance wood. i believe the specific gravity of lignum vitae is heavier than water, assegai wood is just under, so the question is does it float? african ebony and ironwood can also be denser than water tho i'm not sure if zulu's used it either. edited: just tried my knobkerry, which was supposedly made from 'assegai wood'. it sank like a rock... water=62.4 lb/cu.ft. Curtisia Faginea=56 lb/cu.ft. lignum vitae/ironwood = 70-90 lb/cu. ft. Last edited by kronckew; 4th July 2010 at 08:24 PM.

4th July 2010, 11:46 PM	#3
katana Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Kent Posts: 2,653	Hi Wayne, I'll take it into the bath with me ....for purely scientific reasons ...although I could also test it's functionality on 'poor' rubber duckie I'm confident that it is Assegai wood, I'll report back with the result Kind Regards David

5th July 2010, 12:37 AM	#4
graeme gt Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 97	Hi Guys, I thought it was Red Ivory .

5th July 2010, 02:57 PM	#5
katana Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Kent Posts: 2,653	Well, the stick immediately sank like a stone. Hi Graeme, there is a slight 'reddish' tinge to some areas of the lighter coloured grain, but I do not think its 'natural' to the wood. Can I conclude that this is indeed Zulu .... and does late 19th -early 20th seem reasonable date wise ? I am still intrigued with the spiralling. As I mentioned before it provides excellent grip if the stick was used 'sword-like' and is positioned where it provides a good balance. With the Zulu tradition of stick fighting and knobkerrie use... I wonder whether such 'defence canes' were used using techniques from both disciplines ? Regards David

5th July 2010, 03:19 PM	#6
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,178	most works on using a cane i've seen combine swordlike strikes and thrusts with the ball (or handle) acting as a pommel and counterbalance & as something to prevent the cane being pulled out of your control. they also emphasise using the pommel as a striking surface, including holding it nearer the opposite end and swinging it like a mace or knobkerry. of course these strikes could also be used with a sword. holding the blade and thwacking an opponent on the head with the pommel were well know techniques back when they might mean survival. a cane can and should be used with both hands active. there is a well known cane maker in the states that uses a spiral fluting all the way down the canes as a trade mark. the edges, bumps and lumps increase the damage done by a strike using them. Linky for reference.