Zulu Wood Knobkierrie or Club

Weight in the eye, not the hand. That is the knobkierrie’s trick.

Zulu craftsmen carved this club in South Africa in the 20th century. Known in isiZulu as iwisa, such clubs were carried by men as a weapon, a walking companion and a sign of status, and they remain part of ceremonial dress today. It has a perfectly round head and a straight, slender shaft. Just below the head, the shaft is cut into a short faceted section before rounding again, and the butt end is neatly finished. The warm reddish-brown wood has a smooth, even sheen from handling.

Seventeen and a half inches long.