Black History
Vintage Zulu African Short Stabbing Spear or Iklwa Weapon
Zulu African Short Stabbing Spear or Iklwa Weapon, Vintage and Handmade with an 8" Forged Steel Blade, measuring 35.25" long overall, Choice Extremely Fine.
This authentic museum quality Iklwa short stabbing spear is apparently of Zulu origin with a well-forged steel blade in a traditional leaf shape. The haft is covered with burgundy leather, including two sections with the cow hair left on. There are three bands of ornamental braiding on the haft. This Spear measures 35.25" long overall, with the forged steel spear point being 8" long. Excellent overall in quality, with a few minor scrapes on the leather and natural patina to the blade. The very point of the spear blade is slightly blunted from likely use.
According to the Deadliest Warrior Wiki, "The Iklwa is a short spear used by the Zulu, an easily wielded wood spear with a razor sharp iron spike. It was the midrange weapon of Shaka Zulu, who allegedly invented the weapon as part of his military reforms. It is a short variant of the traditional Zulu spear, the assegai." Excellent and clean with just slight wear, a perfect example for display.
The Zulu, an Nguni-speaking ethnic group, were one of a wide range of "clans" in what is today KwaZulu-Natal in the Republic of South Africa. By 1818, Shaka had consolidated this group along with the much larger Mthethwa under Dingiswayo to create the Zulu nation.
The Zulu kingdom under Shaka experienced a military revolution during this consolidation in the early nineteenth century that triggered a wide expansion of Zulu power. The cause of this revolution has been widely attributed to the implementation of new military tactics, including the famous "bull's horns" of envelopment, the banning of sandals to toughen the feet, the regimental association with specific cow hide patterns and warrior's shields, and a diet of beef and cereal porridge, which meant capturing more cattle and grain supplies.
Shaka's short-stabbing umkhonto, a spear sometimes also known as assegai or iklwa, was perhaps the most iconic of these military innovations. This weapon, designed for close quarters combat and used with devastating effects across the eastern portions of Southern Africa, became the visual representation of this military revolution, with Shaka, in turn, becoming a "Black Napoleon," leading Zulu warriors with amaiklwa in hand, and cutting a bloody swath through all who opposed him.
While an oversimplification, this military revolution did have a fundamental impact on the region, and created an entrenched narrative in the minds of many Europeans of the brutal "wars of Shaka" (sometimes called the mfecane), which were facilitated by the iklwa.
KEYWORDS:
Black History, Afircan Slave Trade, Edged Weapon, Zulu Nation, Slavery