Ancient African Axe

I refer to Gallery of the May 2020 issue. As a youngster in the bush with the gang, we seldom ventured out without each of us carrying an axe and a knobkerrie.

The size of the blade was never constant and bigger blades used bigger weights. When they needed sharpening, the blades were tapped out by knocking them against a tree. We also used the blade as a knife. There was always a suitably grained stone nearby for sharpening.

Some 2 years ago Magnum published an article in which I described a lone hunt as a teenager for an elephant tusker

in Mozambique. Besides my rifle, one of these axes was my companion.

The wood carvers of Zimbabwe mainly use a small adze or hoe.

The tribal women use what is known in Shona as a budza for ploughing and planting and weed control. These are like a demo but with the blade parallel to the ground and not too sharp – similar to store-bought hoes of today’s urban gardeners.

I have done carpentry and wood turning and believe that the small adze, which is used to shape and hollow out wood, is as good as any machine woodworking tool in schooled hands.

Some readers might have bought wood carvings on the other side of the Limpopo and around Mutare. The small budza would have been the main tool used for making these.

I would love to walk the fields here with a demo over my shoulder and a tsimbo (knobkerrie) in a loop on my belt. That would confirm me as a weird old man. – Ivan Smith, Eastern Cape