That's a good point Tom. Different peoples in the same region carry related weapons. Unfortunately all the photographs I have seen of warriors with the long type seme are in black and white and personally I cannot recall ever seeing one with a red stained scabbard. My own example has no trace of staining just being the natural tan of the hide. If someone can post a genuine older example with the modern red staining we are talking about, I will get a web cam and you can all watch me eat my hat or shoe or what ever?
An inexpensive but quite informative little book on fighting tribal people in East Africa, an area I find fascinating and rather overlooked is one of those Osprey Publishing, Men-at-arms booklets, number 411, warrior peoples of East Africa 1840-1900. Worth having as it is cheap and really does have good basic info.
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