European Military Patterns- Ethnographic or not?

Jim McDougall · 7th January 2007, 09:57 PM

Interesting topic

I think this is reaching a bit though and stretching the ethnographic denominator to these dimensions would severely inhibit reasonable and effective classification of weaponry. It is however a thought that has crossed my mind and I'm sure others many times, for example Scottish basket hilts...these clans were tribal highlanders much the same as Caucasians; or Southeast Asians in Laos, Vietnam, Assam etc. In studying the famed American Bowie knife, here is an indiginous weapon form that developed in the U.S. although undoubtedly influenced by knives from the Meditteranean, and curiously mostly later produced by English makers, Yet I am not certain that the term ethnographic would properly apply here.

In my opinion, and as I have noted, many military regulation pattern weapons may be considered 'associated' with the ethnographic weapons we study and typically are best discussed under appropriate heading. I have noted that in many instances the 'association' becomes more direct when components of these pattern weapons become mounted in or the form influences native weapons. Instances of this are of course in India, where many tulwars were mounted with British blades; in Africa where Manding sabres etc. are mounted with French or German regulation blades, with of course many other instances in many colonial spheres.

There are also of course instances where an ethnographic weapon form has become a regulation military form, where the kukri is a classic example.

I think the course of weapons study can function well within the existing perameters without further delineation as it serves well to focus on the weapon being discussed without such concerns.
Still an interesting view though

Best regards,
Jim

Rivkin · 8th January 2007, 03:24 AM

I can just give my opinion - why not, but most of pattern weapons are not truly ethnographic weapons. "Pattern" community is very different; a big thing there is to have a sword typical for some high class and relatively small unit (like light brigade), especially with good provenance or even decorations. They have completely separate books, gatherings and forums that for example I do not know much about. It is just historically a different community.

Concerning sabre's origins - well it certainly not China (my unacademic and unguric opinion), even though they had sabres under Han dynasty, they just disappeared with no consequence.
In my opinion sabre appeared in VIIth century in Khazar Empire, essentially a little bit to the north of Dagestan. Khazars had a very diverse population, which somewhat artificially can be split by burial customs into settled "alanics" (catacombes), "turkic" (kurgans) and unknown (cremation). The division is highly speculative since turks also did use catacombes and iranics did use kurgans, so it is more cultural than language-related thing.
Concerning cremation-users, they were strange people, sort of shock-troopers. The only nation where you very often see full set of arms and armour - mail, spear, sabre, bow etc. Additionally you often see a lot of healed wounds on these soldiers. They also did not have infantry, only cavalry. There are many theories concerning who were these people (khazar nobility, avars and so on and so on, russian fashits obviously believe they were ancient russians), but they used sabres, i.e. weapons with initially small but noticable curvature. The sabre then spread both to the west and to the east (interestinly enough mongols per se, i.e. the tribes of eastern syberia were actually one of the last to hold on to straight swords) and curvature grew. Strangely it grew very extensively among circassians (something like twice the rate of any surrounding nation), so it is quite possible in my opinion that "shamshir"-like sabres appear in XIIIth century circassian areas, later to be replaced in these areas by a circassian sabre (which was actually designed for stabbing due to its peculiar points. I do not believe in hooking stabs made with shamshirs, never read about it. With a circassian sword - it was designed for it).

In Europe the sabre sort of stagnates until the "revival" of its popularity in XVIIth century (one can say due to the polish influence, or one can say due to tatar influence, often transmitted through the poles).

ShayanMirza · 8th January 2007, 03:47 AM

Wow, that's a great summary of saber history!

Regarding shamshirs, the writings extant in English have little to do with practicality, with some even speculating they were solely for hunting animals. However, my martial arts instructor (32 years experience studying and teaching numerous martial arts) demonstrated hooking thrusts to me with it while blunt steel sparring, and they were spectacular. I put far more stock in hands-on practicality in the world of weapons than I do on writing when it comes to technique.

Rivkin · 8th January 2007, 04:15 AM

It is your call. I believe that medieval training manuals/accounts should be consulted when one is interested in medieval fighting techniques; I do not believe in middle-eastern martial artists - most of them can't half-decently ride a horse, which brings into question whether they really understand the use of horse-based weaponry (which is what the east is all about) neither they ever killed someone in battle, i.e. they don't really know how the real use of the weapons look like.

ShayanMirza · 8th January 2007, 04:17 AM

Well that's interesting that you don't believe in the martial capabilities of hundreds of millions of people, but he's not Middle Eastern to begin with.

Just curious, where are you from?

Rivkin · 8th January 2007, 04:22 AM

Has nothing to do with their capabalities... It is just that I never seen a "middle eastern style" artist who would have known the middle eastern weapons well enough to be qualified as an expert, never mind knowing things that are completely essential to the eastern combat - horsemanship with all its attributes, traditional archery, armour, tactics, navigation, the use of terrain, performance on horses in formation, djigitovka and so on and so on. Well, neither do I, therefore I refer to people who actually served in old armies and actually did kill someone.

ShayanMirza · 8th January 2007, 04:32 AM

The shamshir was also fully capable on foot according to contemporary accounts, and though I work in a barn on weekends, riding them with a sword might get me fired and void my insurance...his demonstration was on foot, although he has actually taken classes in horseback combat (in which the graduating test was putting 5 men and 5 horses in a small ring with blunted weapons, and whoever stayed on longest won.) Anyways, he's an expert on Chinese dao techniques and learned escrima in the Philippines (he is in fact half Filipino, of a family that used edged weapons in combat in the last century), both of which use extensive slashing and hooking thrusts. In short, he is a killing maching with anything you put in his hand. I trust his knowledge of the principles of combat far more than I would trust any written source, unless it be a contemporary manual by a universally celebrated swordsman. And I trust my own eyes. His hooking thrusts were efficient and practical.

Rivkin, are you perchance from anywhere near Georgia (the country)?

Jim McDougall · 8th January 2007, 04:20 AM

Exactly

RhysMichael · 8th January 2007, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rivkin

I do not believe in middle-eastern martial artists - most of them can't half-decently ride a horse, which brings into question whether they really understand the use of horse-based weaponry (which is what the east is all about) neither they ever killed someone in battle, i.e. they don't really know how the real use of the weapons look like.

I understand your being skeptical but I do not know how many middle eastern martial artists you have seen. I know my sampling would be very small but I would not dismiss it as not having true matial arts practicioners. If you were to come to my home town you could go from matial arts school to maritlal arts school and depending on luck of the draw never go to a school where the instructor had actually been in a fight or done contact sparring. Does that mean there are no true eastern matial artists here? No, it does not. There are many good schools here, but they often are not the best marketed or the ones with the fullest classes. I can remember when FMA were virtually unknown outside their country of origin. They were not comercialized and publisized but they were there. It difficult to find a true Bando or Thaing school now. But I do not believe these martial arts are dead. How long ago was it that SCA sparring was considered a true representation of WMA ? If you had looked at them would you have said there were no true WMA martial artists? or just that they were a rarity ?

I agree to you that many of those who tout themself as experts of middle eastern matial arts ( or any other martial art ) are not and we should look at them with a "show me" attitude but that does not mean they do not exist

Jim McDougall · 8th January 2007, 05:03 PM

Excellent post Katana! Exactly what I was trying to point out!

What we have been trying to say here, and the original topic of the thread, is that military patterns in some degree 'effect' ethnographic weapons and thier development typically in colonial situations. However, I am not sure that such association warrants thier reclassification. In the case of the 'hybrids' we have noted, I believe that they need to be adequately described rather than reclassified.

The diversion to martial arts, the grim practical details of the weapons purpose etc. while interesting, seems counterproductive to this discussion. Although I think we all know that the primary function of a weapon is to inflict injury or death to an enemy or adversary, I cannot see how that effects the classification of a weapon in its study, in terms of whether it is 'ethnographic' or not. I must admit that my perspective on weapons is more from a culturally artistic standpoint in studying typology, symbolism and influences in design. I honestly prefer to avoid the unfortunate details of thier practical use, although naturally such details often must be considered in degree in looking at design application in blade forms etc.

I do think the original topic is interesting and hope we can focus on that while continuing martial arts, equally interesting, on another thread. I am always amazed at the tremendous core of knowledge on these topics held by the membership here!

All best regards,
Jim

RhysMichael · 8th January 2007, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

I do think the original topic is interesting and hope we can focus on that while continuing martial arts, equally interesting, on another thread. I am always amazed at the tremendous core of knowledge on these topics held by the membership here!

All best regards,
Jim

Good point, Jim thanks for the reminder It should have been on a different thread

7th January 2007, 09:57 PM	#1
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,191	Interesting topic I think this is reaching a bit though and stretching the ethnographic denominator to these dimensions would severely inhibit reasonable and effective classification of weaponry. It is however a thought that has crossed my mind and I'm sure others many times, for example Scottish basket hilts...these clans were tribal highlanders much the same as Caucasians; or Southeast Asians in Laos, Vietnam, Assam etc. In studying the famed American Bowie knife, here is an indiginous weapon form that developed in the U.S. although undoubtedly influenced by knives from the Meditteranean, and curiously mostly later produced by English makers, Yet I am not certain that the term ethnographic would properly apply here. In my opinion, and as I have noted, many military regulation pattern weapons may be considered 'associated' with the ethnographic weapons we study and typically are best discussed under appropriate heading. I have noted that in many instances the 'association' becomes more direct when components of these pattern weapons become mounted in or the form influences native weapons. Instances of this are of course in India, where many tulwars were mounted with British blades; in Africa where Manding sabres etc. are mounted with French or German regulation blades, with of course many other instances in many colonial spheres. There are also of course instances where an ethnographic weapon form has become a regulation military form, where the kukri is a classic example. I think the course of weapons study can function well within the existing perameters without further delineation as it serves well to focus on the weapon being discussed without such concerns. Still an interesting view though Best regards, Jim

8th January 2007, 03:24 AM	#2
Rivkin Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 655	I can just give my opinion - why not, but most of pattern weapons are not truly ethnographic weapons. "Pattern" community is very different; a big thing there is to have a sword typical for some high class and relatively small unit (like light brigade), especially with good provenance or even decorations. They have completely separate books, gatherings and forums that for example I do not know much about. It is just historically a different community. Concerning sabre's origins - well it certainly not China (my unacademic and unguric opinion), even though they had sabres under Han dynasty, they just disappeared with no consequence. In my opinion sabre appeared in VIIth century in Khazar Empire, essentially a little bit to the north of Dagestan. Khazars had a very diverse population, which somewhat artificially can be split by burial customs into settled "alanics" (catacombes), "turkic" (kurgans) and unknown (cremation). The division is highly speculative since turks also did use catacombes and iranics did use kurgans, so it is more cultural than language-related thing. Concerning cremation-users, they were strange people, sort of shock-troopers. The only nation where you very often see full set of arms and armour - mail, spear, sabre, bow etc. Additionally you often see a lot of healed wounds on these soldiers. They also did not have infantry, only cavalry. There are many theories concerning who were these people (khazar nobility, avars and so on and so on, russian fashits obviously believe they were ancient russians), but they used sabres, i.e. weapons with initially small but noticable curvature. The sabre then spread both to the west and to the east (interestinly enough mongols per se, i.e. the tribes of eastern syberia were actually one of the last to hold on to straight swords) and curvature grew. Strangely it grew very extensively among circassians (something like twice the rate of any surrounding nation), so it is quite possible in my opinion that "shamshir"-like sabres appear in XIIIth century circassian areas, later to be replaced in these areas by a circassian sabre (which was actually designed for stabbing due to its peculiar points. I do not believe in hooking stabs made with shamshirs, never read about it. With a circassian sword - it was designed for it). In Europe the sabre sort of stagnates until the "revival" of its popularity in XVIIth century (one can say due to the polish influence, or one can say due to tatar influence, often transmitted through the poles).

8th January 2007, 03:47 AM	#3
ShayanMirza Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Charlottesville Posts: 25	Wow, that's a great summary of saber history! Regarding shamshirs, the writings extant in English have little to do with practicality, with some even speculating they were solely for hunting animals. However, my martial arts instructor (32 years experience studying and teaching numerous martial arts) demonstrated hooking thrusts to me with it while blunt steel sparring, and they were spectacular. I put far more stock in hands-on practicality in the world of weapons than I do on writing when it comes to technique.

8th January 2007, 04:15 AM	#4
Rivkin Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 655	It is your call. I believe that medieval training manuals/accounts should be consulted when one is interested in medieval fighting techniques; I do not believe in middle-eastern martial artists - most of them can't half-decently ride a horse, which brings into question whether they really understand the use of horse-based weaponry (which is what the east is all about) neither they ever killed someone in battle, i.e. they don't really know how the real use of the weapons look like.

8th January 2007, 04:17 AM	#5
ShayanMirza Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Charlottesville Posts: 25	Well that's interesting that you don't believe in the martial capabilities of hundreds of millions of people, but he's not Middle Eastern to begin with. Just curious, where are you from?

8th January 2007, 04:22 AM	#6
Rivkin Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 655	Has nothing to do with their capabalities... It is just that I never seen a "middle eastern style" artist who would have known the middle eastern weapons well enough to be qualified as an expert, never mind knowing things that are completely essential to the eastern combat - horsemanship with all its attributes, traditional archery, armour, tactics, navigation, the use of terrain, performance on horses in formation, djigitovka and so on and so on. Well, neither do I, therefore I refer to people who actually served in old armies and actually did kill someone.

8th January 2007, 04:32 AM	#7
ShayanMirza Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Charlottesville Posts: 25	The shamshir was also fully capable on foot according to contemporary accounts, and though I work in a barn on weekends, riding them with a sword might get me fired and void my insurance...his demonstration was on foot, although he has actually taken classes in horseback combat (in which the graduating test was putting 5 men and 5 horses in a small ring with blunted weapons, and whoever stayed on longest won.) Anyways, he's an expert on Chinese dao techniques and learned escrima in the Philippines (he is in fact half Filipino, of a family that used edged weapons in combat in the last century), both of which use extensive slashing and hooking thrusts. In short, he is a killing maching with anything you put in his hand. I trust his knowledge of the principles of combat far more than I would trust any written source, unless it be a contemporary manual by a universally celebrated swordsman. And I trust my own eyes. His hooking thrusts were efficient and practical. Rivkin, are you perchance from anywhere near Georgia (the country)?

8th January 2007, 04:20 AM	#8
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,191	Exactly

8th January 2007, 05:03 PM	#10
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,191	Excellent post Katana! Exactly what I was trying to point out! What we have been trying to say here, and the original topic of the thread, is that military patterns in some degree 'effect' ethnographic weapons and thier development typically in colonial situations. However, I am not sure that such association warrants thier reclassification. In the case of the 'hybrids' we have noted, I believe that they need to be adequately described rather than reclassified. The diversion to martial arts, the grim practical details of the weapons purpose etc. while interesting, seems counterproductive to this discussion. Although I think we all know that the primary function of a weapon is to inflict injury or death to an enemy or adversary, I cannot see how that effects the classification of a weapon in its study, in terms of whether it is 'ethnographic' or not. I must admit that my perspective on weapons is more from a culturally artistic standpoint in studying typology, symbolism and influences in design. I honestly prefer to avoid the unfortunate details of thier practical use, although naturally such details often must be considered in degree in looking at design application in blade forms etc. I do think the original topic is interesting and hope we can focus on that while continuing martial arts, equally interesting, on another thread. I am always amazed at the tremendous core of knowledge on these topics held by the membership here! All best regards, Jim