Tuareg club

Tim Simmons · 9th April 2025, 04:03 PM

Again I was the only bidder. I must be nuts or something. Looks pretty cool to me. Leather possibly a bit dry but can and some moist oil to it when I have it. Take some better pics and find out if and how it is weighted, which looks like it probably is. 54cm long. Not seen anything like it from Tuareg people as yet.

Jim McDougall · 9th April 2025, 04:23 PM

No, not nuts, what is nuts is trying to figure out what these are with little information and apparently no knowledge or expertise out there in the ranks. This one has similar 'head' of cylindrical shape at least elementally.
No idea why this would be Taureg, never heard of them using clubs or blunt force in weaponry.

TVV · 9th April 2025, 04:26 PM

Not sure if Tuareg, but the leatherwork does look West African.

Changdao · 10th April 2025, 09:34 AM

Indeed a peculiar find. It does look West African, and relatively modern.

As far as I know, the only ones in the region that appear historically in the sources using maces/clubs were a group of peoples living south of the Casamance River: Bainuks, Cassangas and Papels.

Bainuks and Cassangas:

"They carry another weapon, a thick club of up to three hand-spans lons, with knobs on it, which they throw at the legs (of enemies), or use to strike them on the head, to knock their brains out."

"They use spears, swords, knives,and clubs like maces,with knobs on them. In battle, they strike their enemies on the head with these clubs killing them, or throw them at their legs. This weapon is the one they value most, and the Casangas use it too."

"The Casangas and Banhuns understand each other in the same way as do the Portuguese and the Castilians. The king of Cazamansa is more powerful than the Banhuns and he rules them.. The Casangas dress like the Jalofos and Mandingas, whom we have already described, In their wars they use spears, arrows,and manducos: the manduco is the weapon used by the Banhuns, the shaped club we described earlier."

Papels:

"The weapons they carry are short swords, knives, spears, shields, arrows, and clubs called manducos."

"The Portugals nowe encoraged the negros to sette upon oure menne, the which the negros did with great battes and hachets, dartes and invenimed arrowes, and fowght at hand strookes."

Marc M. · 10th April 2025, 02:31 PM

Touareg knots: taburi, tabouri, aburi. Usually a wooden club was the only weapon the slaves, iklan,were allowed to carry. Cf Nicolaisen 1963. From the catalogue of the touareg exhibition Brussels 1994, unfortunately no photo.
Regards
Marc

Marc M. · 10th April 2025, 02:33 PM

Touareg club: taburi, tabouri, aburi. Usually a wooden club was the only weapon the slaves, iklan,were allowed to carry. Cf Nicolaisen 1963. From the catalogue of the touareg exhibition Brussels 1994, unfortunately no photo.
Regards
Marc

Changdao · 10th April 2025, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marc M.

Touareg knots: taburi, tabouri, aburi. Usually a wooden club was the only weapon the slaves, iklan,were allowed to carry. Cf Nicolaisen 1963. From the catalogue of the touareg exhibition Brussels 1994, unfortunately no photo.
Regards
Marc

Well, that goes a long way in solving the problem of this piece, I would say.

Tim Simmons · 10th April 2025, 02:54 PM

Certainly looks more like Tuareg leather work than say Mende.

Marc M. · 11th April 2025, 10:02 AM

What I want to say with my text is that clubs were used in touareg society by a certain caste in the past. It is unfortunate that there are no images in the catalog of this little known weapon. But as Tim already said based on the leatherwork probably touareg.
Regards
Marc

Tim Simmons · 11th April 2025, 01:15 PM

Very helpful Marc. Tuarag slave caste.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikelan

Tim Simmons · 11th April 2025, 02:04 PM

Amazing the things you can learn from this small group of people. The Tuareg 1914-1916 revolt caused some ripples on the British North Nigerian/Niger border regions.

Tim Simmons · 12th April 2025, 02:49 PM

Arrived and I like it very much, in fact I challenge any member to come up with another. It is quite old with worm holes and worn dryish leather . I have some very good leather cream which I have now applied, it does not darken the leather. As suspected the distal end is weighted with iron rings also some iron ring at the butt end. Perhaps I am sane after all

Looks like the slave caste had to do the nasty face to face fighting.

9th April 2025, 04:03 PM	#1
Tim Simmons Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: What is still UK Posts: 5,841	Tuareg club Again I was the only bidder. I must be nuts or something. Looks pretty cool to me. Leather possibly a bit dry but can and some moist oil to it when I have it. Take some better pics and find out if and how it is weighted, which looks like it probably is. 54cm long. Not seen anything like it from Tuareg people as yet. Attached Images

12th April 2025, 02:49 PM	#12
Tim Simmons Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: What is still UK Posts: 5,841	Arrived and I like it very much, in fact I challenge any member to come up with another. It is quite old with worm holes and worn dryish leather . I have some very good leather cream which I have now applied, it does not darken the leather. As suspected the distal end is weighted with iron rings also some iron ring at the butt end. Perhaps I am sane after all Looks like the slave caste had to do the nasty face to face fighting. Attached Images Last edited by Tim Simmons; 12th April 2025 at 03:33 PM.

9th April 2025, 04:23 PM	#2
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,186	No, not nuts, what is nuts is trying to figure out what these are with little information and apparently no knowledge or expertise out there in the ranks. This one has similar 'head' of cylindrical shape at least elementally. No idea why this would be Taureg, never heard of them using clubs or blunt force in weaponry.

9th April 2025, 04:26 PM	#3
TVV Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Bay Area Posts: 1,660	Not sure if Tuareg, but the leatherwork does look West African.

10th April 2025, 09:34 AM	#4
Changdao Member Join Date: Jan 2023 Location: Spain Posts: 40	Indeed a peculiar find. It does look West African, and relatively modern. As far as I know, the only ones in the region that appear historically in the sources using maces/clubs were a group of peoples living south of the Casamance River: Bainuks, Cassangas and Papels. Bainuks and Cassangas: "They carry another weapon, a thick club of up to three hand-spans lons, with knobs on it, which they throw at the legs (of enemies), or use to strike them on the head, to knock their brains out." "They use spears, swords, knives,and clubs like maces,with knobs on them. In battle, they strike their enemies on the head with these clubs killing them, or throw them at their legs. This weapon is the one they value most, and the Casangas use it too." "The Casangas and Banhuns understand each other in the same way as do the Portuguese and the Castilians. The king of Cazamansa is more powerful than the Banhuns and he rules them.. The Casangas dress like the Jalofos and Mandingas, whom we have already described, In their wars they use spears, arrows,and manducos: the manduco is the weapon used by the Banhuns, the shaped club we described earlier." Papels: "The weapons they carry are short swords, knives, spears, shields, arrows, and clubs called manducos." "The Portugals nowe encoraged the negros to sette upon oure menne, the which the negros did with great battes and hachets, dartes and invenimed arrowes, and fowght at hand strookes."

10th April 2025, 02:31 PM	#5
Marc M. Member Join Date: Aug 2019 Location: Belgium Posts: 256	Touareg knots: taburi, tabouri, aburi. Usually a wooden club was the only weapon the slaves, iklan,were allowed to carry. Cf Nicolaisen 1963. From the catalogue of the touareg exhibition Brussels 1994, unfortunately no photo. Regards Marc

10th April 2025, 02:33 PM	#6
Marc M. Member Join Date: Aug 2019 Location: Belgium Posts: 256	Touareg club: taburi, tabouri, aburi. Usually a wooden club was the only weapon the slaves, iklan,were allowed to carry. Cf Nicolaisen 1963. From the catalogue of the touareg exhibition Brussels 1994, unfortunately no photo. Regards Marc

10th April 2025, 02:54 PM	#8
Tim Simmons Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: What is still UK Posts: 5,841	Certainly looks more like Tuareg leather work than say Mende.

11th April 2025, 10:02 AM	#9
Marc M. Member Join Date: Aug 2019 Location: Belgium Posts: 256	What I want to say with my text is that clubs were used in touareg society by a certain caste in the past. It is unfortunate that there are no images in the catalog of this little known weapon. But as Tim already said based on the leatherwork probably touareg. Regards Marc

11th April 2025, 01:15 PM	#10
Tim Simmons Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: What is still UK Posts: 5,841	Very helpful Marc. Tuarag slave caste. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikelan

11th April 2025, 02:04 PM	#11
Tim Simmons Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: What is still UK Posts: 5,841	Amazing the things you can learn from this small group of people. The Tuareg 1914-1916 revolt caused some ripples on the British North Nigerian/Niger border regions.