Two new acquisitions from Somalia

Yvain · 15th February 2022, 11:10 AM

Hi everyone!

Just wanted to share those two new acquisitions, a billao, and some kind of gile-billao hybrid. Both are rather recent (second part of the 20th century?) but still are interesting imo.

The billao is, I guess, the older of the two. It has a nice cast aluminium grip with a brass insert. The blade is nicely made, with a simple fuller, but was carefully polished and is still pretty sharp; I actually think that it was forged and not just cut out of a steel plate. It came with a nice red leather tooled sheath. I don’t know if it was used in situ, but it is a cool little knife.

The gile-billao hybrid is more recent I think, and I’m not sure it was ever used considering how dull the edges are. I believe the blade was cut out and filed from an older piece of steel (there is some defects in the metal, suggesting it isn’t modern steel). The handle is rather original in shape and materials, with a brass guard and pommel, and what I think is some type of vulcanized rubber (?) for the grip. Even if it probably wasn’t ever used, it is still an interesting witness of the evolution of traditional Somalian shapes in the later decades of the 20th century.

15th February 2022, 11:10 AM	#1
Yvain Member Join Date: May 2017 Location: France Posts: 178	Two new acquisitions from Somalia Hi everyone! Just wanted to share those two new acquisitions, a billao, and some kind of gile-billao hybrid. Both are rather recent (second part of the 20th century?) but still are interesting imo. The billao is, I guess, the older of the two. It has a nice cast aluminium grip with a brass insert. The blade is nicely made, with a simple fuller, but was carefully polished and is still pretty sharp; I actually think that it was forged and not just cut out of a steel plate. It came with a nice red leather tooled sheath. I don’t know if it was used in situ, but it is a cool little knife. The gile-billao hybrid is more recent I think, and I’m not sure it was ever used considering how dull the edges are. I believe the blade was cut out and filed from an older piece of steel (there is some defects in the metal, suggesting it isn’t modern steel). The handle is rather original in shape and materials, with a brass guard and pommel, and what I think is some type of vulcanized rubber (?) for the grip. Even if it probably wasn’t ever used, it is still an interesting witness of the evolution of traditional Somalian shapes in the later decades of the 20th century. Attached Images