Vanarus, Machaka Lion Kings etc

[HoneyBadger]

Wrana: I'm not sure if you're referring specifically to 'King Solomon's Mines', and not his later works, but Haggard wasn't writing about the Zulu in that particular book. The weapons he described seem much more similar to Congolese throwing knives and Songe axes (which would have been appropriate for the Great Lakes region, which I believe is approximately the real world location of Kukuanaland in the novel.

I think there might also be the mention of swords (definitely present in 'Allan Quartermain'), which would also be appropriate to the region, and ofcourse spears, but then spears were ubiquitous in colonial Africa. There is also mention and use of chainmaille (possibly influenced by the chainmaille armour still used in Algeria in the 19th century? The Kabyles and others in that region, and the Morocco area, still used heavy swords, as well, known as flyssa, rather specifically for piercing/breaking chainmaille.), which was replicated by the 19th century Sheffield armourers in the second book--and which may have strongly influenced Tolkien's mithril chain armour.

J. R. R. Tolkien was very familiar with the works of H. Ryder Haggard, as was Robert E. Howard, and H. P. Lovecraft.
Haggard, along with Edward Plunkett, Lord Dunsany; is pretty much the grandfather of modern fantasy.

It's been a while since I read King Solomon's Mines, but as I recall, Umslopogas (the Zulu warrior--who by the way uses an exotic battleaxe of partially European manufacture, not an Assegai--the most famous specifically Zulu weapon) doesn't make an appearance until the sequal, "Allan Quartermain".

The "lost people" in 'Mines', the Kukuanas-while they did speak a dialect of Zulu-were pretty specifically differentiated from other African tribes (different skin colour--more reddish than black--etc.).