Afar Jile
 

Hello,
Here is my newest treasure, a Jile of the Afar people in Djibouti, Eritrea and Ethiopia. It is 56cm long overall, which is essentially short-sword length. The ones I've seen are the short dagger variety, but apparently there are also many of these longer ones as well. Can anyone tell whether this is made for the tourist/collector market of for local use? To me it looks like one from the pictures below, but one never knows. I haven't received it yet, so I'll post more pics when I do get it.
It's interesting how closely these resemble the Abyssinian shotel...but then they also recall the long Wahabyte jambiyas.

Emanuel

I need one of those big ones :eek: even a modern one :eek: :eek:

As far as I know these are all made for use. The Afari are known for being violent and hostile. I suppose some "tourist" versions may be made, but these people are subsistence farmers and herders, and metal is a precious commodity.

Ian.

:D That's what I said when I saw it..."that's a big mo****flippin' jile!!! It looks like a serious killer, but I've read an obscure mention in an old thread that they were also made "for export". I'll be sure when I get it, but either way I like it a lot...a keeper for sure.
Would love to see more examples...even the small ones. How do the blades usually rank in terms of quality?

It's interesting seeing the pictures with the afar carrying the big jile, and an AK-47 on the shoulder....and that's NOW. Somehow, the idea of barong/kris-wielding Filipinos and present-day headhunters isn't so farfetched anymore. The knife can easily co-exist with the semi-automatic...
Thank you both,
Emanuel