Turkana Wrist Knife

russel · 27th April 2013, 10:53 PM

I recently picked up this Turkana wrist knife. These have always appealed to me as I like unusual things! It is missing the inner leather strap but for the price of a few beers I couldn't resist.

However, I am starting to question its authenticity. I have noticed quite a few of these appearing on online auction sites, often quite cheaply. Hopefully some members will be able to confirm my fears, or allay my suspicions - preferably the latter.

My concerns are as follows:

Provenance:
This knife was relatively recently sourced (not by me) from Africa. The seller has/had quite a number of them.

Thickness:
I have seen one of these which appeared quite obviously cheap and touristy, it had a thin, flat blade with no tapers and seemed to be made from thin sheet metal. The one I have shown here is still quite thin (a little over 1/16 inch, but does have a distinct bevel (difficult to see in my photographs) starting about 3/4 of an inch from the edge. The blade also shows distinct hammer marks.

Scale:
This is where my suspicions start to rise. This item is rather small. Dimensions: overall width 5 1/2 inches; inner wrist hole 2 3/8 x 1 3/4 inches; opening 1 inch wide. If this knife was intended for use, it would have required very small wrists! I am a very slightly built guy (rude people would say scrawny), and I CAN get this on my wrist. It is fine once on, but the opening is a VERY tight fit and rather painful getting on or off. And this is without the inner leather ring which I imagine would make it even harder. Were/are the Turkana a particularly small/thin people?

So, have I an authentic piece? Or should I notch this one up to experience, toss it in the Tourista Bucket, and keep learning.

Cheers, Russel

27th April 2013, 10:53 PM	#1
russel Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Tasmania, Australia Posts: 236	Turkana Wrist Knife I recently picked up this Turkana wrist knife. These have always appealed to me as I like unusual things! It is missing the inner leather strap but for the price of a few beers I couldn't resist. However, I am starting to question its authenticity. I have noticed quite a few of these appearing on online auction sites, often quite cheaply. Hopefully some members will be able to confirm my fears, or allay my suspicions - preferably the latter. My concerns are as follows: Provenance: This knife was relatively recently sourced (not by me) from Africa. The seller has/had quite a number of them. Thickness: I have seen one of these which appeared quite obviously cheap and touristy, it had a thin, flat blade with no tapers and seemed to be made from thin sheet metal. The one I have shown here is still quite thin (a little over 1/16 inch, but does have a distinct bevel (difficult to see in my photographs) starting about 3/4 of an inch from the edge. The blade also shows distinct hammer marks. Scale: This is where my suspicions start to rise. This item is rather small. Dimensions: overall width 5 1/2 inches; inner wrist hole 2 3/8 x 1 3/4 inches; opening 1 inch wide. If this knife was intended for use, it would have required very small wrists! I am a very slightly built guy (rude people would say scrawny), and I CAN get this on my wrist. It is fine once on, but the opening is a VERY tight fit and rather painful getting on or off. And this is without the inner leather ring which I imagine would make it even harder. Were/are the Turkana a particularly small/thin people? So, have I an authentic piece? Or should I notch this one up to experience, toss it in the Tourista Bucket, and keep learning. Cheers, Russel Attached Images