Central African Wrist Knives

imas560 · 2nd August 2011, 07:28 AM

thanks Willem

asomotif · 3rd August 2011, 11:28 AM

Here are some pictures from Riefenstahl's book.
According to the book here she visits the Nuba of Kau.

Best regards,
Willem

DaveA · 5th August 2011, 12:15 AM

Hi,

This wrist knife is from the Turkana tribe in Kenya and it is called by them an "ararait".

The knife is made out of rectangular piece of sheet metal iron, then hammered and bent into a disk shape with flat upper and lower surfaces. The outer edge is curved and sharpened. Although the ends nearly touch at the outer tips, they have been cut and an angle so that they slope in and away from each other towards the center of the knife. The center has an oval hole to accommodate the wrist. A leather strip guards the wrist from the interior of the blade. Another strip wraps the outer edge in day-to-day wearing, and removed for battle.

The British banned the making and wearing of these objects during colonial rule as they were considered lethal in close-combat fights. Nevertheless, the Turkana are a war-like tribe that continues to wear and use this weapon.

Pictures: My ararait, and a drawing of a Turkana warrior from 1888.

Best Regards,

Dave A.

DaveA · 5th August 2011, 12:17 AM

Oops, forgot the picture.

imas560 · 5th August 2011, 03:40 AM

Thanks Willem and DaveA, great info for my talk. Much appreciated.

3rd August 2011, 11:28 AM	#2
asomotif Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 2,235	Here are some pictures from Riefenstahl's book. According to the book here she visits the Nuba of Kau. Best regards, Willem Attached Images

5th August 2011, 12:15 AM	#3
DaveA Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Wisconsin, USA Posts: 417	Turkana "Ararait" wrist knife Hi, This wrist knife is from the Turkana tribe in Kenya and it is called by them an "ararait". The knife is made out of rectangular piece of sheet metal iron, then hammered and bent into a disk shape with flat upper and lower surfaces. The outer edge is curved and sharpened. Although the ends nearly touch at the outer tips, they have been cut and an angle so that they slope in and away from each other towards the center of the knife. The center has an oval hole to accommodate the wrist. A leather strip guards the wrist from the interior of the blade. Another strip wraps the outer edge in day-to-day wearing, and removed for battle. The British banned the making and wearing of these objects during colonial rule as they were considered lethal in close-combat fights. Nevertheless, the Turkana are a war-like tribe that continues to wear and use this weapon. Pictures: My ararait, and a drawing of a Turkana warrior from 1888. Best Regards, Dave A. Attached Images

5th August 2011, 12:17 AM	#4
DaveA Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Wisconsin, USA Posts: 417	Turkana warrior 1888 Oops, forgot the picture. Attached Images

2nd August 2011, 07:28 AM	#1
imas560 Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 180	thanks Willem

5th August 2011, 03:40 AM	#5
imas560 Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 180	Thanks Willem and DaveA, great info for my talk. Much appreciated.