Zulu Shield and the Tactics of Shaka Zulu - African Weapons and Armor
70African Weapons and Armor are not only powerful tools of combat but also amazing looking works of art as well. Today we talk about the South African weapons and armour employed by the famous Shaka Zulu king of the Zulu people. Shaka kaSenzangakhona was not only a strong leader but he was also a wise one as well. He came up with new spears and shields for the Zulu army to use and taught his troops the strategies and tactics on how to most effectively fight. The new weapon Shaka had forged in fire for the Zulu warriors was a short and deadly spear known by three names, the Umkhonto, the Assegai and the Iklwa. It was likely his most iconic innovations in war. However, Shaka's new shield should not be overlooked either. It's name is the Ishilunga and not only was it a great piece of defensive equipment, it was also effective at offense. How can a shield be used offensively? Watch the video to find out. All of his tactics and innovations allowed the Zulu kingdom spread its influence across Southern Africa and help Shaka Zulu leave his mark on history.
There's a reason why the Zulu warrior is so iconic in African history and that's thanks to the efforts of the legendary ruler Shaka Zulu who turned the Zulu kingdom into an empire.
Having said all that. Shaka was not the only important Zulu king. We also discuss king Cetshwayo kaMpande and his contributions to the Zulu culture. Cetshwayo in his time modified the shield design. And so the question remains, is the shield we're looking at in this museum in the style of Shaka or Cetshwayo?
If you enjoy learning about African history, culture, and art, be sure to stay tuned to the Red Spirit Mask channel. Africa is a big place and has a lot of cool weapons and we have other African weapon videos as well and there's more to come.
#Shakazulu #Africanweapons #Southafrica
Sources Include:
Harvard Shields
https://www.peabody.harvard.edu/node/2094
SHAKA ZULU’S LINKAGE OF STRATEGY AND TACTICS: AN EARLY FORM OF OPERATIONAL ART?
https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.1000.7214&rep=rep1&type=pdf
“Born out of Shaka’s spear”: The Zulu Iklwa
and Perceptions of Military Revolution in the
Nineteenth Century
https://mars.gmu.edu/bitstream/handle/1920/11898/Ivey_%E2%80%9CBorn%20out%20of%20Shaka%E2%80%99s%20spear%E2%80%9D-%20The%20Zulu%20Iklwa%20and%20Perceptions%20of%20Military%20Revolution%20in%20the%20Nineteenth%20Century%20.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Direct links don't work for this particular site but you can find the shield that was featured in this video by typing Zulu into the search
https://www.whalingmuseum.org/collections/search/
The thumbnail image for this video uses a graphic which I created by modifying a photo labeled, "London - Camden Lock Market Shaka Zulu (1)", and therefore is a derivative of "London - Camden Lock Market Shaka Zulu (1)" by Fred Romero,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:London_-_Camden_Lock_Market_Shaka_Zulu_(1).jpg