Small Somali dagger?

[Marc M.]

Greetings

Bought this small dagger recent, Somali or ethiopia.
Looks like the big blade gile from the Afar. Nice blade with central rib, handle two piece horn, stucture is fibrous.Leather scabbard has shrunk a bid, oal 33cm.

Best regards
Marc

[Changdao]

Cool piece. I love this style of knife/short sword.

The blade looks very gile-like, but the workmanship in the scabbard seems more similar to Somali ones. Maybe it has an Issa origin?

[Marc M.]

Originally Posted by Changdao

Cool piece. I love this style of knife/short sword.

The blade looks very gile-like, but the workmanship in the scabbard seems more similar to Somali ones. Maybe it has an Issa origin?

Hi Changdao
are one
Thanks for the reaction, Issa is possible, they are one of the main clans and live in parts of Djibouti Somalia and Ethiopia tha Afar clans are scatterd over larger area's and are sometimes neighbors.
The handle of my dagger is different than other examples i've seen so far.
Therefore the question mark.

Best regards
Marc

[Martin Lubojacky]

Hi, in my opinion (however might be wrong...), regardless of the similar type of blade to the Afar/Issa knives, this is a classic Amharic dagger... The covering of the scabbard in fine leather with an embossed pattern and the type of two-colour handle would also suggest this....

[Marc M.]

Originally Posted by Martin Lubojacky

Hi, in my opinion (however might be wrong...), regardless of the similar type of blade to the Afar/Issa knives, this is a classic Amharic dagger... The covering of the scabbard in fine leather with an embossed pattern and the type of two-colour handle would also suggest this....

Hi Martin

Thanks for the tip on amharic. I only know amharic as a language, not a tribe, but after a some reading i found the amhara people, who speak amharic.
I hope that is what you mean by amharic. Any pictures of amhara daggers?

Best regards
Marc

[Martin Lubojacky]

Hi Marc,
Yes, you are right, I wrote by mistake Amharic dagger insted of Amhara dagger. I am enclosing my dagger. Years ago I was told that it comes from Bahir Dar region...
But in general, I think that it is very difficult to determine these daggers in Ethiopia, where there are dozens of ethnic groups, and, as I have convinced myself, daggers "travel" here. I bought this my dagger once in Addis Ababa in a shop and "I was only told that...". That's why I was always happy when I could get a dagger directly from its owner somewhere in the countryside, but one rarely gets that lucky....

[Marc M.]

Originally Posted by Martin Lubojacky

Hi Marc,
Yes, you are right, I wrote by mistake Amharic dagger insted of Amhara dagger. I am enclosing my dagger. Years ago I was told that it comes from Bahir Dar region...
But in general, I think that it is very difficult to determine these daggers in Ethiopia, where there are dozens of ethnic groups, and, as I have convinced myself, daggers "travel" here. I bought this my dagger once in Addis Ababa in a shop and "I was only told that...". That's why I was always happy when I could get a dagger directly from its owner somewhere in the countryside, but one rarely gets that lucky....

Hi Martin

Agree that blades travel in Africa and create weapons in mixed styles, what makes it interesting but also difficult to pinpoint its origin.
I've never been to Africa, bought al my objects from other collectors and oneline.

Best regards
Marc