19th Century Zulu Iklwa. Zulu Wars Stabbing Spear

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Zulu Iklwa. 1879 Zulu War Stabbing Spear.

This fantastic Zulu Iklwa is a Zulu War bring back and dates to the late 1870’s. After the punitive attack on the Zulu capitol of Ulundi in 1879, many such trophies were collected by the troops and brought back to the UK as souvenirs. Finding one now-a-days however is not so easy!

The long 458mm hand forged blade has a flattened diamond section with raised medial ridge. The blade is 42mm at its widest and is in great condition with a wonderful patina and clear forging marks that add to its character.

The blade is secured firmly within the haft and a section of cow tail was added to strengthen the bond. Traditionally there were three types of binding used to secure the blade into the haft – wire, cow tail and Ilala palm. 

The 750mm haft is in excellent condition and has a wonderful patina and flares nicely at the end.

While the Zulu King was responsible for providing his warriors (Impis) with shields, the individual Zulu warrior was responsible for his own weaponry. As such, the length and breadth of a warrior’s Iklwa blade was very much a status symbol. The more steel a warrior could afford to purchase and have forged into a blade, the wealthier and more important he was. The same applied to the choice of binding for the blade. Ilala palm was free to harvest, wire could be traded (but was often stolen from the newly installed telegraph system) and a cow tail could only be obtained by killing a cow. Cattle held great importance to the Zulus and cattle ownership was the indicator of an individual’s wealth and status. Using a cow tail was considered as high status.

This Iklwa has a total length of 1,212mm (121.2cm).

This was a high status weapon for a senior warrior and will make a great addition to any Anglo-Zulu War collection.

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