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Wrist Knife
Country: Kenya
Material: Steel, Copper and Hide
Size: 4.75" Diameter
Of the Turkana weapons, the wrist-knife is the most infamous of the lot, at least in terms of its spine-chilling appearance, and is unique - in Kenya at least - to the Turkana (various related peoples in southern Sudan also carry them). The blade is sheathed with two bands of goat skin leather, one on the inside to protect the wrist on which it is worn like a bracelet, and one on the outside. The outer band has steel and copper ends. Formerly used in close combat and in fights among the Turkana (it was taboo to kill a fellow Turkana with a spear), the wrist-knife's usefulness is gradually being made redundant by automatic rifles such as the AK-47.
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