Swazi Battle Axe
Isizeze - Siyeme
,
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.
con't
Click Thumbnails for
Larger Images
The blade of Galerie
Ezakwantu's Swazi battle axe is of swallow tail form. Brass wire decorates the object
at for 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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