Knobkerrie
Also known as: knobkierrie, iwisa, molamu, induku
A wooden club from southern and eastern Africa with a large round head; used as a weapon and walking stick, today on South Africa's coat of arms.
Quick Facts
About the weapon
The knobkerrie is a wooden club widespread mainly in southern and eastern Africa, usually with a large round head at one end. It served both as a weapon and as a walking stick. The name combines the Afrikaans knop (head, ball) with kirri (walking stick) from the Khoekhoe or San languages. We have not been able to establish the dating of its origin in the sources. The Sotho variant molamu is made from Olea africana wood. Tsonga clubs tended to have round heads, though variants with a more elongated oval head also existed. We have not found dimensions in the sources. Sources disagree on its combat use. Among the Zulu, where the club is called iwisa, one account holds it was not commonly used in fighting and served rather as a parade staff and ceremonial object; many sources, however, stress its historical use in close combat for striking blows and in executions. The Ndebele induku served as a parade staff or as a throwing weapon. During the First World War, British soldiers called their trench clubs knobkerries, and the poet Siegfried Sassoon used one in combat. Among the Zulu, the iwisa also served as a snuff container. Among the Sotho, the molamu symbolises authority, power and manhood; it is traditionally carried by men and boys from puberty and holds spiritual significance in Sotho society. The knobkerrie appears on the coat of arms of South Africa, where laid down it symbolises peace, and it also featured on the earlier flag and coat of arms of Lesotho. It is still widely carried today, especially in rural areas, and in South Africa it is still often carried by protesters.