Two Southern African Zulu Style Weapons Comprising a Spear and a Knobkerrie

This lot consists of two traditional Southern African weapons, attributed to the Zulu or Nguni peoples. The first item is a spear, or assegai, featuring a leaf-shaped forged iron blade. The blade is attached to a tapered dark hardwood shaft with a binding of animal hide at the junction. The second item is a carved hardwood club, known as a knobkerrie or iwisa, featuring a spherical, faceted head and animal hide collars with fur accents. Both pieces are embellished with a central band of multi-coloured geometric glass beadwork in patterns of red, yellow, green, blue, and white. These objects are characteristic of ethnographic items produced for both traditional use and for the colonial souvenir trade in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Spear length: approximately 90cm – 110cm
Club length: approximately 60cm – 80cm.