Imbazo Yempi

The Imbazo Yempi is a traditional weapon of the Ingubu people of M'biruna, comparable to a Belisarian battle axe. Traditionally the weapon of heavy infantry the Imbazo Yempi evolved from lighter hatchet like weapons and spiked clubs to become a dedicated anti-Quagga weapon due to the violence between the predominantly mounted Imbesu tribe and the Ingubu. While now obsolete as a weapon the Imbazo Yempi remains a traditional symbol of the Ingubu people and is found in both commercial and cultural signage and use.

 File:Imbazo Yempi 4.png

## Name

Imbazo Yempi translates literally as "the Axe of War" to differentiate it from the basic *Bazo* or house axe, reflecting it's design rendering it useless for chopping wood and other agricultural tasks. The significance of it's description as a weapon of war is also reflected in it's usage for when they are carried by the impis instead of the light spears carried in peace time for self defence it is a true indication that the Ingubu tribe is prepared to fight.

## Evolution

 File:Imbazo Yempi 1.png  The Imbazo Yempi originates from the basic axe or *bazo* still common in rural areas of M'Biruna, which was nothing more than a small strip of iron hammered into an ironwood haft and sharpened to provide a simple tool for digging and splitting wood. This also become a common weapon for second line warriors to fight in close quarters and led to the first dedicated war axes used by the Komontu peoples of M'Biruna. While roughly similar to the common tool the first Imbazo Yempi's had an arrow like head which provided a larger cutting edge to increase the lethality of the weapon but also the ability to hook an opposing warriors shield away from him opening him up to attack.

 File:Imbazo Yempi 2.png  The next development was the so-called Induku-Imbazo which saw the traditional Induku war club combined with an axe head which saw slightly less pointed and contained a broader blade and the increased damage associated with the increased weight of the head. The predominantly accepted theory for this development is the increased urbanisation of the assorted Komontu people in M'Biruna. This led to the establishment of more permanent blacksmithing facilities allowing smiths to improve the quality and quantity of axes produced and to experiment with new designs. The combination of these new heads with the traditional Induku, a club formed from the carved root bowl and trunk of the ironwood tree, is in oral histories of the the Ingubu attributed to Phungashe the first Nkosi of their line but is more likely to have been a general move by the club armed warriors to improve their efficiency in battle, especially as the price of iron heads decreased allowing the to adopt an axe instead of the cheaper war club.

 File:Imbazo Yempi 3.png  The final development of the basic Imbazo Yempi common to the Komontu peoples was the dedicated shaft instead of a the attachment of the head to a Induku war club. The greater length of the new handles allowed the weapon to be wielded highly effectively with two hands tot eh extent it could penetrate the boiled leather shields common amongst spear armed impis giving the axe armed warriors the ability to break their opponents, and the adoption of this weapon and tactic is widely credited with the emergence of the Imbesu-Ingubu tribe as the dominant group in M'Biruna.

### Amathumbu Iphuzu

The most significant development of the Imbazo Yempi came with the violent split between the Imbesu and Ingubu tribes after the death of Kuphela in 1816, and the subsequent conflict between the two groups. Prior to the split the Ingubu had provided the heavy infantry impis of the Imbesan armies armed primarily with induku clubs and earlier war axes to break opposition lines after they had been weakened by bow armed quagga riders and spear armed impis, before the final rout was completed by heavy quagga lancers. Lacking spear armed troops the rebel Ingubu found themselves at a severe disadvantage when facing their mounted adversaries and suffered heavy losses in the early stages of the conflict, until they retreated into the Intaba Ende hills and reorganised.

It was here a smith named Kujani designed the amathumbu iphuzu, or gutting spike head for the war axes carried by the Ingubu warriors. This 12 to 18 inch addition extending from the head of the blade upwards allowed the Ingubu warriors to extend the axe in front of themselves in the manner of a spear and hold off the mounted Imbesu warriors and their short lances, as well as overwhelm spear armed impis sent against them. This development received it's name from the way the weapon disembowelled quaggas when wielded properly by a defending warrior, and such was it's importance this design of axe has become the symbol of the Ingubu people.