Isijula (throwing spear)

Datelate 1800s

Mediumiron, wood and vegetable fiber

Dimensions111.5 cm (43 7/8 in.), 12 oz (weight)

ClassificationsArms and Armor

Credit LineThe John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection

Terms

Object number2014.278

DescriptionLeaf-shaped iron blade. Long neck of circular section fitting into thin wooden shaft whose base is leather-wrapped. Base of head is wrapped with spiralled thin iron wire. Cf. HAM 3548 (deaccessioned) whose head it closely resembles, except that the present example is shorter, with rounded point. Join of head & thin light-colored short wooden shaft is wrapped with vegetable or fibrous lacing. Base is irregularly cut, though the cut is quite old.
Label TextZulu warriors traditionally carried a handful of light isijula for fighting at a distance. One of the military reforms of the Zulu chieftain Shaka in the early 1800s was to replace these with a short, heavier spear for close-quarters fighting. These reforms led to the Zulu becoming a dominant military power in southern Africa.ProvenanceGift to Museum on November 12, 1931 from the Misses Henderson (Worcester, MA). Collection transfer from Higgins Armory, January 2014.

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