Zulu Wood Knobkierrie or Club, Based

Zulu men carried a knobkierrie the way other men carry keys.

Weapon, hunting tool, walking stick. This one is wood, carved in South Africa in the 20th century, nineteen inches tall. The long, slim shaft bends gently before meeting a smooth, rounded knob set slightly off-center.

The open grain shows along the shaft. The honey-brown surface has darkened and polished with handling, most of all on the head. It stands upright on a black base.

Not for the faint of hand.