Takouba for coments ... and a question

[fernando]

This seems to be old ... i wonder if 19th century.
Blade is 82 cms long, 4,5 cms wide and 3,5 m/m thick. Three fullered, double edged, sharpened to within 15 cms from the hilt. The usual two half moons in each side.
Scabbard visibly original; pitty the end 'complex' is missing. One suspension ring and the leather baldric are home made.

Gentlemen, your coments will be so much welcome, namely on its possible age and provenance region.
Another question i have goes for the grip size. We can see often discussed the size of Indian hilts, namely talwars. It happens that the hilt of this takouba is so small that my small hand struggles to fit in its grip, having to acomodate tightly to its pommel 'shelled' curve; is this the intended idea, or were Tuaregs also a people with small hands? I doubt it though, as it seems other examples appear to have larger grips, as may be seen, for example, in this Forum Resource Site article. I also doubt it is a boy's sword, judging by its regular blade length; this meaning i ignore if Tuareg youngsters would qualify to carry a sword, like in other cultures.

Thanks in advance for your kind input.
Fernando

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[Jim McDougall]

Hi Fernando,
The 'takouba' is the fascinating broadsword of the fabled Tuareg warriors, Ihaggaren, of the Sahara, and the history of these swords is as mysterious as these warriors themselves.

Yours is a sound example, and clearly in 20th century mounts, while the native blade may be latter 19th century. The treble fullers central to the blade recall European blades that have come into these regions over the centuries, as do the degenerated, stamped crescent moons. These are apparantly common in the Eastern Sudan with Hausa type swords and termed locally 'dukari' (Briggs, p.58).* These 'dukari' twin half moons have become virtually standard on takouba blades across the Sahara, and obviously the style has transmitted via nomadic movement, tribal interaction and trade.The moons themselves are copied from these markings on a number of European blades traded to these regions.

According to information found in Dr.Lloyd Cabot Briggs "European Blades In Tuareg Blades and Daggers" (Journal of the Arms & Armour Society, Vol.V, #2,1965 ) it would seem that stylistically your example is likely of 'Central' form which would comprise roughly Ajjar,Ahaggar and often the Air region.
I know that this is not precise, but these are nomadic tribes, and it would be virtually impossible to gain specific provenance unless obtained and documented from a tribesman on location.

While tribal warriors still wear thier takoubas as a matter of traditional costume, they are of course armed with modern weapons (as can be well described by Lee Jones.

One thing I would like to bring up as a case in point. Over many years, I have tried to find the source for the term takouba, which of course included in the Tuareg vocabulary. It seems that the Portuguese were likely the earliest purveyors of European blades to the Tuareg tribes of the Sahara, and the influence for the broadswords may derive from the Almoravides of Spain as early as the 11th c. These early connections of course are broadly applied, but the Iberian note is key in my opinion.

In Mexico City in 16th century New Spain, the Moorish custom of grouping craftsmen of similar work in the same area, and for the metalworkers, including those who fashioned weapons and blades, there was a thouroughfare known as the CALLE DE TACUBA. In time, metalwork from there became known as 'de tacuba'.
While this is clearly an entirely separate region, I would like to know if there is any possibility that the application of this Spanish name or term might have been grafted into Tuareg parlance with traders supplying blades into Morocco.
Just a thought

All the best,
Jim

[Martin Lubojacky]

Hello Jim,

Thank you for very interesting report. I hope I am not mistaken if I say Spanish language was influenced by Arab and/or Berber language during their presence there in 11th century (e.g. al-hambra, al-chimia, etc). So why it could not be possible the same term to occur both in Mexico and on Sahara ? If there is any linguist among forumites, it would really be interesting to learn something about origin (or better linguistic roots) of the word "takouba".

I would be very interested in article by Dr. Lloyd Cabot Briggs on Tuareg Blades and Weapons - some time ago I tried to find it on internet, but without any success. Once I saw very old "takouba" in Ghadames - the blade without crescent (or any) stamps, but with engravings (not etching) which depictived floral motives on hatched backround, all bounded by engraved, cca 15 cm long frame, placed on the blade just below the grip. The blade made of very good springy steel.

Regards,

Martin

[Jim McDougall]

Hi Martin,
Thank you for responding to my post, very much appreciated!
I was thinking pretty much the same thing so I'm glad you agree on the possibility of the assimilation of the term. As a point of illustration, the Mexican language has many terms and words from other languages such as French, Native American and others into slang added to Spanish. American is of course a vast amalgam of loan words added to English with many others as well.

All the best,
Jim

[fernando]

Hi Jim,
Sorry for taking so long in thanking your posting with the treatise in takoubas. It happens that i got envolved with your question on the takouba term origin, ande decided to do some browsing on the subject. Amazing how i have found out you have been trying to solve this riddle since the last eight years.
Well, there is no term equal or similar, or even sounding close to takouba in both Portuguese and Spanish modern dictionaries.
On the other hand, we can see through various historians quotations that the term 'tacuba' in Mexico already existed by the time Cortez got there. In fact Tacuba was a local kingdom, on the western mountains of the valley of Mexico, whose monarch had made a triple alliance with two other nobles,Tetzcoco and Tenochtitlan, to massacre the Spaniards. I don't either think that it was the Spaniards that brought the term from Mexico and later drop it in the Sahara; this assuming that the term is not an original Tuareg word. Meanwhile i have spotted a book that sounds as it could clarify the situation, for those deeply commited in going to the ultimate step with this riddle, as it contains an essay on these swords, namely on their 'nomenclature' ... for what this means.

http://siris-libraries.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?uri=full=3100001~!761584!0#focus

Back to my takouba example, i see that you didn't coment on the short length of the handle; was it because nothing occurs to you on the subject ? Also in the mean time i have read that Tuareg youngsters could gain a takouba by the time of their puberty.
Concerning the age of both blade and sheath, XIX century for the blade suits me fine; however XX century for the sheath leaves me a bit sad, as i am 'alergic' to modern stuff. In fact i have read in Lee Jones article that hardly takouba sheaths may be found with a long age, due to their quick degradation. Even so, i hope my example is quite old within possible, that is, from the early times of the XX century. I am based in the fact that its leather material has shrunk so much that, even inserting the blade with some mussle, a good 3,3 cms. (almost 1 3/8") remain unsheathable. Also worthy of note is the (one surviving) elaborated suspension ring, made in decorated brass, with an interesting patina, instead of those in aluminum, a detail quoted in Dr. Lee Jones's article to indicate a mid XX century solution.
Kind regards
Fernando

[Jim McDougall]

Always my pleasure Fernando! especially when you respond in kind, and I thank you for the detail on the word Takuba, and its use in the New World. The information you have provided is far more clearly, than I have been afforded in these past years. I have seen the reference you note listed, and even think it might be in my very inaccessible files, and though it is of course in French, might be somewhat readable. I do know that the word Takouba is in Tuareg glossaries, but without etymology details.

My lack of comment on the handle was an oversight, and it does seem that many of these do have unusually small handles. It does seem that native individuals did have smaller hands in many tribal regions, though that argument for small handles has met with great debate in the tulwar case. In looking at clothing, shoes and all manner of apparal of earlier times, it does seem people were smaller (heaven knows I could never get into my high school clothes!). I just read an article on the pgymies, and much notation on nutrition, lack of certain vitamins, diet etc. which accounts for thier size.

I think the smaller size hilt may suggest earlier 20th century, as well as the brass ring etc., you do present a good case, but I wouldnt go earlier than about the 30's. It really is hard to say, as it doesnt take long for leather to draw tight, even without being in the elements in the desert.

All the best,
Jim