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Old 26th December 2005, 06:33 PM   #3
Freddy
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Sint-Amandsberg (near Ghent, Belgium)
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That's a big one.

I doubt however if this is really a throwing stick. A huge ball wouldn't 'fly' very far when thrown. It could be some kind of ceremonial piece, or...perhaps just a knobkerrie for a very big and strong man.

Is it made from one piece of wood ?
I have a club in my collection which has a hardwood ball and a very flexible handle. The seller told me that the handle was expendable. When it was broken, the owner just cut a new one. The head of the club, however, was used again.
It's from the Agoni-tribe in Swaziland and it is called 'chibonga'.
Total length : 67,5 cm





The second picture cleary shows that the handle is a separate piece of wood.

It's not easy to find examples of African throwing sticks in a book. Most books on African weapons only deal with iron weapons.
Nevertheless, here's one :



I have one stick in my collection which also could be a throwing club. I found this one in a shop in Brussels, filled with African goodies
I don't know anything about it. I showed it to a German friend and he also said in was used for throwing.
Length : 78,5 cm







Your club could also originate from the South Sea, for example Fiji. They also have throwing clubs.

So you see....perhaps more questions than answers
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