Zulu Throwing Spear (Assegai)

Zulu People, Late 19th Century, South Africa

An exceptional late 19th-century Zulu assegai throwing spear, featuring a long, finely forged and flattened steel blade mounted onto a slender, polished hardwood shaft with tightly woven sinew bindings. Elegant yet deadly, this type of spear was among the most common and effective weapons in sub-Saharan Africa before the advent of firearms. The design, relatively light with a heavy tapered blade, made it ideal for mid- to long-range combat.

The assegai was the precursor to the shorter iklwa spear, later popularized by the legendary Zulu king Shaka Zulu, who revolutionized warfare in southern Africa during the early 19th century. The iklwa was designed for close combat, while earlier assegai versions such as this example were skillfully thrown to disable or kill opponents from a distance—combining precision, speed, and strength.

The Zulu people, a Bantu-speaking ethnic group and the largest in South Africa, trace their origins to the Nguni communities who participated in the great Bantu migrations. Once a minor clan founded around 1709 by Zulu kaNtombhela, they rose to power under Shaka’s reign to become one of the most formidable military and cultural forces in African history.

Traditional Zulu life revolves around cattle and agriculture, both central to their economy and social identity. Their spiritual beliefs center on Unkulunkulu, the supreme creator who brought forth all life from a bed of reeds, and on ancestral spirits (amadlozi, amathongo, abaphansi), who play an active role in guiding and protecting the living. These spirits are honored through elaborate rituals and ceremonies that reaffirm lineage, community, and continuity between generations.

This remarkable assegai, with its balanced craftsmanship and historical resonance, stands as a powerful testament to Zulu martial tradition, artisanal skill, and enduring cultural legacy.

Good condition. Age-related wear. Blade with roughened spots, rust and deep dark age patina. Long shaft with rich brown patina and few minor worm holes. The size of the spear blade c. 33,5cm x 2,5cm, overall 152,5cm.

Provenance: Swedish private collection

References and further reading:

The Zulu of Africa, N.Gleimius, E.Mthimunye, E.Subanyoni, Lerner Publications Company, Minneapolis, 2003.

The Earth and Its Peoples, Bulliet, US: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2008, p. 708.

Zulu, Sue Derwent & Barry Leitch, Cape Town, South Africa: Struik Publishers, 1998.

Lord of the Sky-King of the Earth: Zulu traditional religion and belief in the sky god, Irving Hexham, Studies in Religion, University of Waterloo, 1979.

Zululand and the Zulus: their history, beliefs, customs, military system, home life, legends, etc., etc., and missions to them, James Anson Farrer, Kerby & Endean, Londres, 1879.