Weapons
Making bow strings from plant fibers
The manufacture of bow strings from plant materials is a skill that has been practiced by Bushmen for a relatively short period of time. Around the year 1900, they learned from neighboring Bantu-speaking tribes how to use Sansevieria fibers to…
Composition of Bushmen Arrows
The topic of the composition of Bushmen arrows for hunting is vast and intricate. Numerous anthropological studies have documented the unique designs utilized by nearly every family group of Bushmen in Southern Africa. These designs are often a result of…
Making bushmen bows for hunting
The Bushmen, generally speaking, employ bows and poisoned arrows for the purpose of “tracking and stalking” during hunting in Northern Namibia and North-Western Botswana. The various Bushmen tribes utilize different materials and techniques for crafting these weapons. However, in this…
Zulu knobkerries at a museum in Hluhluwe
Zulu knobkerries are basically wooden clubs with a knob on one end. Together with assegais (throwing spears), they are the symbols of the Zulu nation in South Africa. And these two weapons are even part of the South African Coat…
Throwsticks as weapons in the African bush
Kerries are a combination of throwsticks and wooden clubs, used as an every-day tool for hunting, defense and/or digging in Southern Africa. Australian aboriginals used a refined form of throwsticks, which was flattened over its whole length and was called…