Sudanese Arm Dagger For Comment

[Rather]

LOUIBLADES, difficult to read the text (the pictures are upside down), but the year on the dagger is 1318 A.H., which is the year 1900/1901 according to the Christian calendar.

[Rich]

Here's my contribution to the thread.
Had it for many years. What is the
flat triangular pommel for? Skull crusher?
Don't know anything about the knife. One
of my few, besides Berbers, African pieces.

Rich S

[Lee]

Rich: Your dagger is a tebu - or toubou, depending on how you represent it - dagger from the Sahara desert. Please refer to these old threads for more information on this style:

Tebu dagger from Goa

Toubou knife for your comment, from Chuck

Lew: I find it interesting that your most recently pictured dagger has the same device on the forte of the blade as mine that was pictured in the thread you cited in the same post. This style is attributed specifically to Sudan the country, as in Khartoum, while Rick's knife is from further west in the Sahara (Chad, Niger), a product of an oasis dwelling people.

[tom hyle]

That arrow-shaped pommel is associated with certain tribes, and goes hand-in-hand with the leather hand grip. Same sheath though, huh? I have an unusual sword with such a pommel and a disc-shaped cutting tip, which was collected (as rusty farm shed-junk, BTW) in Nigeria. The term "tebu" is associated with the pointy-pommel daggers, but I don't know if it's a name for the dagger or for a tribe. It seems I've seen......Fulanis?.........with them.
Yannis, are those feathered edges on yours? (a secondary bevel similar to "hollow grinding" but usually forged, as common on Berbese kodme) Is it symetrical in cross section, or is the feathering or other features offset?
This seems to be a broad widespread style with many varieties.
Now a mental excercise: picture if you will those double-sickle Konda/Mongo swords, Kuba ilwoon, and Kenyan (the Massaie don't make their own weapons traditionally, iron-wprling being against their religion/tradition and it seems pretty dang identical to swords of nearby tribes, such as Watutsi) seme on a continuum, along with the many similar swords.
Something I've wanted to mention for some time, and now seems to have "come up" is that iron and ironworking (probably due to weapon associations, but perhaps to use as money as well) and the blacksmith/iron god are all commonly associated with royalty in Africa, and I'm noting that nations with prohibitions against working or touching iron may tend to be nations traditionally free from kings and structured governments (thinking here of Tuaregs and Massai; other examples? counter-examples? Input?)

[Rich]

Lee and Tom -

Thanks for reference to the old thread on Tebu knives.
How do you guys remember all these old threads? I can't
recall what I had for breakfast :-)

Rich S

[Lee]

Tom, Tebu is the name of the tribal group, so I am just using it to modify the subject of dagger.

Rich, I forget a lot more of the old threads than I remember, but the search functions run on all of the forums; it is just that there are three separate searches which one must do to scan the entire archives, though I believe Google will find the oldest material and the current forums.

Use the FreeFind Search Service for the static part of the site and the oldest forum archives, and the built in search functions of each forum for the more recent UBB and current vB forums...

[Yannis]

Originally Posted by tom hyle

Yannis, are those feathered edges on yours? (a secondary bevel similar to "hollow grinding" but usually forged, as common on Berbese kodme) Is it symetrical in cross section, or is the feathering or other features offset?

I am not sure I understand what do you mean "feathered edges". Blade is handforged. In cross section, bladesmith tried to make it symetrical but he didnt manage it There are 3 ridges on every side but not exactly the same.

[derek]

Louie,

Excellent, man. If I remember correctly, you got one of those with the silver wrap for a total steal.

Your examples are what Mr. D'Angelo termed as "karra". This came from his Italian colonial military handbook on north African terms and phrases. The book was distributed to soldiers during the occupation of Ethiopia.

Someone else noted that "karra" seems like a short form of "kaskara". Interesting comparison, but I don't know if there's a linguistic connection.

I just got one this week as well. I'll post pics asap!

-d

[Mark]

Originally Posted by tom hyle

Something I've wanted to mention for some time, and now seems to have "come up" is that iron and ironworking (probably due to weapon associations, but perhaps to use as money as well) and the blacksmith/iron god are all commonly associated with royalty in Africa, and I'm noting that nations with prohibitions against working or touching iron may tend to be nations traditionally free from kings and structured governments (thinking here of Tuaregs and Massai; other examples? counter-examples? Input?)

Here is an interesting contrast from the Shan states in Burma. Among the Shan, blacksmithing is considered peasant's work and is beneath any one of noble blood, or who aspires to nobility. The Shan hold that silver working is proper for nobility, however. I expect that it is due to iron-working being seen as "dirty," what with the sweat, scale, charcoal and such, while silver-working is more "dignified" and artistic.

I know that at least one reason why iron working is given such a high place in many societies is the importance that weapons played, and having a blacksmith was an important advantage. They used to get kidnapped a lot in West Africa apparently, and taken prisoner in battle rather than killed. I would guess that also the fact that is is a developed and somewhat arcane art, turning a lump of something into a useful and beautiful item, adds to the mystique.

[tom hyle]

I've seen them worn on the outside of the left arm, with the belt passing around the narrow part above the bicep/tricep mass, and the tip hanging downward in typical fashion.

[Lew]

Hi Tom

A few months ago I saw one of those 19 century orientalist paintings of a Sudanese warrior on ebay and he was wearing a large Tebu style dagger on his left forearm hilt faced down. The scabbard was Tuereg looking with a round brass arm band hold it in place. Unfortunately I was stupid and the auction ended before I was able to bid on it By the way I just picked up another large karra dagger like the last one I posted it also has incriptions on the blade and I will post some pictures as soon as I can.


Lew

[tom hyle]

I have read of them worn this way, on the forearm, supposedly within the sleeve of a robe, and I have seen it in illustrations, but I don't think I've seen it in a photograph. Perhaps the fashion has changed over the years, too?

[Lew]

Originally Posted by tom hyle

I've seen them worn on the outside of the left arm, with the belt passing around the narrow part above the bicep/tricep mass, and the tip hanging downward in typical fashion.

Hi Tom

I found a black and white print of Sudanese warrior notice the position of ther dagger.

Lew

[Conogre]

Kamil, you're 100% correct about that being a tebu dagger affixed to the outside of the takouba scabbard worn by the Taureg in the photograph on plate 3 in Spring's....I posted a close up of that same picture several years ago in the old forum and even have mine displayed that way as a great space saver **grin**....that little leather strp fits the scabbard much better than my arm!!!!
The only knives I've seen with the wider bands have all been teleks, as opposed to the old illustrations with it on other style knives.
Heck, at that time the style that started this thread were still being attributed to having been derived from German daggers, a la Stone.
Mike

[DaveA]

Here is my arm dagger, attributed to the Daza people who reside in southwestern Chad (fringe of the Sahara) and Niger. I'm told that the sheath's split "snake tongue" shape is relatively rare and indicates this is a "sultan dagger". I've read through the other threads and can't find any discussion of this split sheath style. Any ideas?

[Dom]

Originally Posted by DaveA

Here is my arm dagger, attributed to the Daza people who reside in southwestern Chad (fringe of the Sahara) and Niger. I'm told that the sheath's split "snake tongue" shape is relatively rare and indicates this is a "sultan dagger". I've read through the other threads and can't find any discussion of this split sheath style. Any ideas?

Hi Dave
never saw, and never listen to, about "snake tongue",
what could looks as a fish tail, also (sign of prosperity)

I know the name for this type of dagger "loï bo",
they come from Chad, as you explained , more precisely, from "Tibesti",
massive mountains covering part of South Libya, South Algerian Sahara, and North Niger
according with what I listened to on spot (I resided for 6 years in these parts)
the metal part pointed of the handle, possibility to use as weapon in fight (movement back),
but in fact, more usefull to remove thorns from bushes

here 2 with me, the biggest is more or less recent (20th C.)
the other it's a "venerable dagger" (19th C.), may be for woman, due to his dimensions
is all what I know about the subject, sorry if I can tell you more

à +

Dom

[Kamil]

Originally Posted by Rather

LOUIBLADES, difficult to read the text (the pictures are upside down), but the year on the dagger is 1318 A.H., which is the year 1900/1901 according to the Christian calendar.

LOUIBLADES,
Rarher's deciphering is OK. the whole inscription reads "Omdurman - year 1318".
BTW does anyone know how these knives are/were worn? I have heard and read that on the left arm, but where and how exactly? Maybe there exist a picture showing such knife "in use"...?