Central African Wrist Knives

[DaveA]

Hi,

This wrist knife is from the Turkana tribe in Kenya and it is called by them an "ararait".

The knife is made out of rectangular piece of sheet metal iron, then hammered and bent into a disk shape with flat upper and lower surfaces. The outer edge is curved and sharpened. Although the ends nearly touch at the outer tips, they have been cut and an angle so that they slope in and away from each other towards the center of the knife. The center has an oval hole to accommodate the wrist. A leather strip guards the wrist from the interior of the blade. Another strip wraps the outer edge in day-to-day wearing, and removed for battle.

The British banned the making and wearing of these objects during colonial rule as they were considered lethal in close-combat fights. Nevertheless, the Turkana are a war-like tribe that continues to wear and use this weapon.

Pictures: My ararait, and a drawing of a Turkana warrior from 1888.

Best Regards,

Dave A.