Where do you think these spears came from?

Who used them?

What are they made of?

Answers:

Where do you think these spears came from? Who used them?

These two spears are from southern Africa, specifically the Zulu people. Spears like these, called assegai, were used primarily for warfare. Firearms were available in Africa from early modern times, but were slow to adopt in warfare due to codes of combat which found the use of traditional weapons to be more honorable.

Answer: These spears are of Zulu origin, from southern Africa! For more details, visit our website: https://bit.ly/2PY5oYB

What are they made of?

These spears are made of wood and metal, and fastened with twined plant fibers. They were donated to the Karshner Center in 1934.

For more information, visit:

• This artifact in the Karshner Digital Collections
• Artifact Worksheets you can use in your classroom or for homeschool
• South African History: Zulu
• Bantu Migration
• Zulu Impi

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