Club (Knobkerrie)
ClassificationsArms and Armor-clubs
Dateearly to mid 20th Century
Made AtAfrica
MediumWood
Dimensions18 7/8 × 1 3/4 × 3 1/4 in. (47.9 × 4.4 × 8.3 cm)
Credit LineGift of Anne and Long Shung Shih
Object number2018.13.8
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.On View
Not on viewCollections
early to mid 20th Century
early to mid 20th Century
early to mid 20th Century
20th Century
20th Century
20th Century
20th Century
20th Century
20th Century
20th Century
late 20th Century