Antique African palm wood Knobkierie walking stick. 34" long...

Hammer

£10

Antique African palm wood Knobkierie walking stick. 34" long. Small shrinkage split/splinter 14" up from the foot.

Circa 1900; a Knobkierie, also spelled knobkerrie, knopkierie or knobkerry, is a form of club used mainly in Southern and Eastern Africa. Typically they have a large knob at one end and can be used for throwing at animals in hunting or for clubbing an enemy's head.

The knobkierie is carved from a branch thick enough for the knob, with the rest being whittled down to create the shaft. Knobkieries were an indispensable weapon of war, particularly among southern Nguni tribes such as the Zulu. Knobkieries are still widely carried, especially in rural areas and in times of peace they are used as a walking-stick or cane.

Has had a reinforcing metal ferrule attached to the foot.