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Club (Knobkerry), early to mid 20th Century
Southern or Eastern Africa
Wood; 17 × 1 5/8 × 1 5…
Club (Knobkerrie)
Club (Knobkerry), early to mid 20th Century
Southern or Eastern Africa
Wood; 17 × 1 5/8 × 1 5…
Club (Knobkerry), early to mid 20th Century Southern or Eastern Africa Wood; 17 × 1 5/8 × 1 5/8 in. 2018.13.7 Gift of Anne and Long Shung Shih

Club (Knobkerrie)

ClassificationsArms and Armor-clubs
Dateearly to mid 20th Century
Made AtAfrica
MediumWood
Dimensions17 × 1 5/8 × 1 5/8 in. (43.2 × 4.1 × 4.1 cm)
Credit LineGift of Anne and Long Shung Shih
Object number2018.13.7
DescriptionThis club is most likely a knobkerrie, a generic club archetype that is seen throughout Southern and Eastern Africa with a variety of uses and meanings, even as an identifier or as bride price. The implications of knobkerrie also vary. The Wawanga and similar groups usually bury people within a hut, however, if the person dies from wounds inflicted by a knobkerrie, they are buried outside. Knobkerries are typically held by men and are a symbol of manhood. Except on the rare occasion a knobkerrie has a stone head, they are almost always made of wood, such as in this example. The word Afrikaans and Nam, and literally translates to ‘stick with a ball at its end.’ It has different names in different languages: in Kikuyu it is called njoguma, in Kamba it is called nzoma, and in Teita it is called rungu.
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