Zulu Commanders stick of office

[Kmaddock]

Hi All
I picked up the attached stick yesterday at a car boot sale.

Looking on line I think it is a Zulu prestige item, walking stick.

The person who did the carving managed to incorporate beautifully the dark and light coloured timber into the snakeheads.

Seemingly the snake represented ancestral spirits and these staffs were carried by men of high status


Timber is very dense and the stick sinks in water (yes I took it into the bath last night ;-))

The timber was v dry so I waxed it last night to bring out the colouring.

overall length 34 inches with no cracking,

So what do you think am i correct in my identification.

Regards
Ken

[kronckew]

I have 3, all 'assegai wood' with the distinctive pale sap wood and dark heartwood, it's Curtisia dentata. A hard very strong dense south african wood. one is like your snake one, but spiral fluted not snakes. They are, as you note, heavier than water. One has a slender shaft and a spherical head, the other has a smooth almost teardrop transition to the head like your other one. The head of a Zulu Impi would carry an iwisa (english: Knobkerrie) with a small head as his badge of office, he didn't need a larger combat head on his. I also have a few of the larger headed weapon ones.

[Kmaddock]

Thanks Kronckew,
I have looked back and seen some of your examples on previous threads, v v nice.
Would you have any opinion on the age of my stick?

Regards,
Ken

[Tim Simmons]

I have a few sticks from Southern Africa. One is certainly Zulu, the others come other parts now countries like Zambia. The longest one , the dark ball head with the very simplified face is 57cm , 30.5 inches , which is short for a walking stick although it has had contact with the ground. Now what is a baton of office or a walking stick? How long is a swagger stick? A swagger stick made for colonial soldiers or native levies. The four shortest examples are surely batons 52cm long except the ivory and horn piece being 46cm long. I think the ivory hooked example may well be a symbol of some status as it is too short for a walking stick and also the wrong weight and form for a swagger stick. Held at the carved section feels right much like a Recade from West Africa. If I see them I get them {if I have the funds}

[Kmaddock]

Similar one in National army museum

https://collection.nam.ac.uk/detail.php?acc=1963-08-1-1


with following description




Walking stick owned by King Cetshwayo of Zululand, 1879 (c)
Cetshwayo was King of Zululand, a territory bordering Natal and the Transvaal. In 1878 he refused to disband his Zulu army or to cooperate with Sir Bartle Frere's plan for imperial federation in South Africa. In January 1879 a force commanded by Lieutenant-General Lord Chelmsford invaded Zululand. Cetshwayo's army resisted bravely, but the king became a fugitive after the Battle of Ulundi (4 July 1879). He was taken prisoner in August. Deprived of his kingdom he was sent into exile at Cape Town. This stick was taken from the king after his defeat and brought back to Britain by a Colonel Bell.

The stick is carved with two snakes coiled around the shank. It is a typical example of the staffs carried by men of high status; the snake was a common symbol representing the protection of the ancestral spirits.

NAM Accession Number
NAM. 1963-08-1-1

Copyright/Ownership
National Army Museum Copyright

[Ian]

Since we are not dealing with a weapon, this one really belongs in the Ethnographic Miscellania area.