Ararait Wrist Knife

  • Ararait Wrist Knife

  • Ararait Wrist Knife

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  • Ararait Wrist Knife

  • Ararait Wrist Knife

  • Ararait Wrist Knife

  • Ararait Wrist Knife

  • Ararait Wrist Knife

AVAILABLE: $100 + Shipping

Ararait Wrist Knife
Turkana / Acholi / Daasanach / Nyangatom / Larim / Lokoya / Bari / Murle / Karamojong / Pokot and surrounding Nilotic Peoples
Turkana District, British East Africa (Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan)
Last half 20th century (ca. 1950 - 1985)
Iron, hide
Blade: 11,3cm
Blade & Sheath: 12,7cm (width)
Collection Date: 2019
Collection Number: 52

The wrist knife is associated with the Turkana People of Kenya, where it is known as the ararait, but it is also used by many surrounding pastorial nilotic tribes from Southeast South Sudan, Southern Ethiopia, and Northeastern Uganda around the Lake Turkana Region. There is very little distinction between these weapons, which are composed of hammered iron and hide guards. More specifically, the blade is hammered from iron sheet metal in a circular shape, sharpened on the outside perimeter, while unsharpened on the inside where it is cut out to accommodate the wrist. The edges are protected by strips of hide (goat, cow, donkey) with end rings called "ngidany". Ararait knives are still in use today to settle scores between tribal members and used as everyday cutting tools.

Photo 4: Year Book of the Public Museum of the City of Milwaukee 1928, Volume VIII Part II: African Expedition: Turkana man with wrist knife, 1900 - 1931, P. 464, Fig. 390
Photo 5 ,6, 7: (Riefenstahl, Leni. "Die Nuba". 1976): Nuba tribe of Kau, Sudan wrist fighting.