This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this articlebyadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Assegai" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (April 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Anassegaiorassagai[a][2] is a polearm used for throwing, usually a light spearorjavelin made up of a wooden handle with an iron tip.
The use of various types of the assegai was widespread all over Africa and it was the most common weapon used before the introduction of firearms. The Zulu, Xhosa, and other Nguni tribes of South Africa were renowned for their use of the assegai.
Shaka of the Zulu popularized the use of the shorter stabbing spear with a 610 mm (24 in) shaft and a larger, broader blade 300 mm (12 in) long in warfare, which was traditionally used primarily as a hunting spear. This weapon is otherwise known as the iklwaorixwa, after the sound that was heard as it was withdrawn from the victim's wound.[3][4] The traditional spear was not abandoned, but was used to range attack enemy formations before closing in for close quarters battle with the iklwa. This tactical combination originated during Shaka's military reforms. This weapon was typically used with one hand while the off hand held a cowhide shield for protection.
It is also the name of a southern African tree (Curtisia dentata) whose wood was suitable for making spears or lances, most notably by the Bantu-speaking people of southern Africa.
The dictionary definition of assegai at Wiktionary