a range of up to 80 meters. The wounds inflicted at such a long range were
not likely to be deadly. At distances of 20 to 30 meters the weapons could
connect with lethal impact.
In addition, these bladed weapons were also effective for hand-to-hand
combat. Most of them had a handle, and so the blade projections also served
as parrying devices if needed. The iron from which the instruments were cre-
ated was durable enough to stand the rigors of combat, even when one was
struck against another throwing iron. Thus, the African warriors who
wielded these weapons had not only a reliable projectile device that could be
used for long-range combat, but also a handheld weapon for closing with the
enemy. Therefore, it was not uncommon for a warrior to carry three or four
of these implements, always being certain to keep one in reserve.
These throwing implements were also able to serve as the backbone
of a system of armed combat. Given the absence of advanced forms of ar-
mor, African warriors were able to use these throwing irons to maximum
effect. Once a practitioner was able to penetrate the shield defenses of an
opponent, a lethal or incapacitating wound was likely to occur, unless the
recipient was able to avoid the strike. The effectiveness of these weapons
against an armored opponent is unknown.
Another unique weapon is found among the Nilotic peoples of the
southern Sahara region. These groups fought with wrist bracelets that in-
corporated a sharpened edge. Known by some groups as bagussa(Shangun;
things that cause fear), the bracelets were said to be used for defense
against slavers. They were also used in ceremonial wrestling matches asso-
ciated with agricultural festivals. These distinctive weapons continue to be
utilized by the East African Nilotic groups of Kenya, Somalia, and
Ethiopia. For example, contemporary Turkana women of Nigeria still uti-
lize the bracelets in self-defense. The weapons are brought into play by
holding the arms in a horizontal guard position in front of the body until
the opportunity arises to attack in a sweeping arc across the same plane us-
ing the razor-sharp bracelets to slash an opponent.
Combat training was as essential to African martial arts as practice is
for martial arts of other cultures. One of the more interesting features of
African combat systems was the reliance in many systems on the rehearsal
of combat movements through dances. Prearranged combat sequences are
well known in various martial arts around the world, the most famous ex-
amples being the kata of Japanese and Okinawan karate. Such sequences
were also practiced in ancient Greece, through the Pyrrhic war dances. The
African systems used drums and stringed instruments to create a rhythmic
beat for fighting. Warriors, either individually or in groups, practiced using
weapons, both for attacking and defensive movements, in conjunction with
the rhythm from the percussion instruments. The armies of the Angolan
Africa and African America 3