Swazi Battle Axe

Isizeze - Siyeme

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                       Sobhuza Paramount Chief                                           Swazi Warrior

Photographs - The Ivy's Albums  - Circa 1920's

Sobhuza succeeded Ngwane V as Paramount Chief of Swaziland on December 10, 1899, when he was only a few months old. His grandmother, Labotsibeni Mdluli, acted as regent until December 22, 1921. His reign of 82 years, 9 months is the longest precisely dated monarchical reign on record and the longest documented reign of any monarch since antiquity. Only Pepi II Neferkare of Ancient Egypt and Taejo of the ancient Korean kingdom of Goguryeo are claimed to have reigned longer.

King Sobhuza kept many wives. According to the Swaziland National Trust Commission, King Sobhuza II married 70 wives, and had 210 children between 1920 and 1970. About 180 children survived infancy. When he died he had over 1000 grandchildren. 

Swazi Battle Axe - Reed Dance

Excerpts by Gordon Crawford

AXES -  BATTLE-AXE / “SIZEZE”

According to Swazi oral tradition these axes were weapons kept in reserve after having used up one’s throwing spears. This is unlike the Zulu one, which may have been merely a prestige display symbol, restricted to military commanders with royal blood. It is a common Swazi weapon yet rare among the Zulu. Oral tradition also mentions these axes were often hidden behind a warrior’s shield. The intention was to lure the enemy out into the open by enticing them to attack seemingly unarmed men.

When carried by a Swazi warrior the axe is held in a vertical position, with the right hand at the end of the haft. The elbow is bent so that the fist is near the shoulder. In this position they are easily used against any potential foe. When walking they are still carried in this upright manner and are rocked slightly to and fro in an exaggerated swagger. Today they are considered an essential part of warrior attire at weddings and the annual Reed Dance.

Generally Swazi battle-axes consist of an attractive ‘swallow tail’ or V shaped iron blade imbedded into a straight wood haft by a round iron tang. The old battleaxes had blades forged by expert blacksmiths from single pieces of iron. These blacksmiths appear to have passed away during the early 1900s without training replacements, resulting in less robust axes being made since.

They are very large compared to most African axes, the haft measuring 1.2 meters or more. This large size can be seen in old pre-colonial photographs.
 

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The blade of Galerie Ezakwantu's Swazi battle axe is of swallow tail form. Brass wire decorates the object at four locations.

 

Continued - by Gordon Crawford

 

Approximately half of all 20th-century axes have wire weaving to strengthen the haft and tang joint. Before 1900 little or no wire binding was to be found on axes. Then from about 1900 until 1940 brass, copper or iron wire was occasionally used for binding the joint and for decoration.

When colorful telephone wire became available around 1940, multi-colored insulated wire became the norm for binding axe hafts.

Old blades are often re-hafted due to accidental haft breakage or deliberate breaking at funerals. Thus axes can display confusing indications of different ages. Wire binding may be added decades after the axe was made. Several old axes have been found with brass wire overlaid with insulated wire. In addition old axes with no wire binding could appear to be new by the later addition of plastic-coated wire binding.

 

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