A takouba varient ??....just finished on eBay

katana · 23rd November 2006, 09:22 PM

A takouba 'type' sword and scabbard , single edged and the scabbard is metal plate over wood......never seen this type before

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...6604&rd=1&rd=1

katana · 25th November 2006, 02:59 PM

Bump..
Sorry to bump the thread, but I am surprised there has been no comment......or am I impatient

...does this mean that this design is common? Or is it some sort of 'tourist' piece? The embossed metal plate covering the wood sheath is totally new to me (Takouba scabbard) and I would have though would make it less likely to be a 'travellers bring back'.

I am wondering whether this Takouba could have been 'adopted' and altered to have the single cutting edge..... however the 'moons' are absent so may not even be the original blade.....

Emanuel · 25th November 2006, 03:14 PM

Hi David,

I'll bravely answer the call

This Takouba looks quite real, I don't see anything wrong with it that would make it a tourist piece. A central type piece I think...check out these great articles http://www.vikingsword.com/ethsword/takouba/index.html
and http://blade.japet.com/takouba.htm
Less embelished than the examples on the two sites, but still a good example. I think this one lost its brass ffittings on the hilt, and what is left is the bear rolled metal that makes up the hilt.

When I first saw your piece, the blade looked - and still does - curved. Is that the case? In the event it were curved, I wonder whether that would make it an Alguinjar instead of a Takouba.

About tha absent half-moons, my example is also lacking them: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=2331 even though the whole thing looks quite authentic and relatively "high-end".
All the best,
Emanuel

katana · 25th November 2006, 04:12 PM

Hi Emanuel,
the swords not mine....and the blade is curved. Thanks for the links.....one is in French so I've provided the link in English (below)

http://66.249.93.104/translate_c?hl=...lr%3D%26sa%3DG

The buyer informed me that the blade was 2mm thick.....typically thin and flexible. It is quite likely you are right, that this should be called a Alguinjar. I cannot find any images to help confirm this.

Jim McDougall · 26th November 2006, 10:25 AM

Hi Katana,
As always, it is often difficult to assign a specific identifying term to weapons, especially ethnographic examples from regions inhabited primarily by nomadic tribal groups. For the sake of simplicity in discussion, this does fall into the 'takouba' group with regard to hilt form, although the curved blade is obviously atypical.
It seems these hybrids occur mostly in Saharan regions around Burkino Faso and Mali, and often use French or German sabre blades, from colonial occupations during latter 19th and turn of the century. While the takouba itself is of course distinctly a Tuareg weapon, it is well known to be used by other Saharan tribes in western Sahara regions, and in variations as seen here. They remain an important element of traditional fashion, and as weapons in degree, just as the well known takoubas of the Tuareg (despite the prevalence of the AK47

.

Best regards,
Jim

P.S. Check the search and read the excellent article on takoubas written by Lee Jones on this site for more detailed information. Just thought of one of these takouba variants from some time ago with a British blade by Mole!!!

23rd November 2006, 09:22 PM	#1
katana Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Kent Posts: 2,653	A takouba varient ??....just finished on eBay A takouba 'type' sword and scabbard , single edged and the scabbard is metal plate over wood......never seen this type before http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...6604&rd=1&rd=1

25th November 2006, 03:14 PM	#3
Emanuel Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 1,242	Hi David, I'll bravely answer the call This Takouba looks quite real, I don't see anything wrong with it that would make it a tourist piece. A central type piece I think...check out these great articles http://www.vikingsword.com/ethsword/takouba/index.html and http://blade.japet.com/takouba.htm Less embelished than the examples on the two sites, but still a good example. I think this one lost its brass ffittings on the hilt, and what is left is the bear rolled metal that makes up the hilt. When I first saw your piece, the blade looked - and still does - curved. Is that the case? In the event it were curved, I wonder whether that would make it an Alguinjar instead of a Takouba. About tha absent half-moons, my example is also lacking them: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=2331 even though the whole thing looks quite authentic and relatively "high-end". All the best, Emanuel Last edited by Manolo; 25th November 2006 at 03:28 PM.

25th November 2006, 02:59 PM	#2
katana Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Kent Posts: 2,653	Bump.. Sorry to bump the thread, but I am surprised there has been no comment......or am I impatient ...does this mean that this design is common? Or is it some sort of 'tourist' piece? The embossed metal plate covering the wood sheath is totally new to me (Takouba scabbard) and I would have though would make it less likely to be a 'travellers bring back'. I am wondering whether this Takouba could have been 'adopted' and altered to have the single cutting edge..... however the 'moons' are absent so may not even be the original blade.....

25th November 2006, 04:12 PM	#4
katana Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Kent Posts: 2,653	Hi Emanuel, the swords not mine....and the blade is curved. Thanks for the links.....one is in French so I've provided the link in English (below) http://66.249.93.104/translate_c?hl=...lr%3D%26sa%3DG The buyer informed me that the blade was 2mm thick.....typically thin and flexible. It is quite likely you are right, that this should be called a Alguinjar. I cannot find any images to help confirm this.

26th November 2006, 10:25 AM	#5
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 9,938	Hi Katana, As always, it is often difficult to assign a specific identifying term to weapons, especially ethnographic examples from regions inhabited primarily by nomadic tribal groups. For the sake of simplicity in discussion, this does fall into the 'takouba' group with regard to hilt form, although the curved blade is obviously atypical. It seems these hybrids occur mostly in Saharan regions around Burkino Faso and Mali, and often use French or German sabre blades, from colonial occupations during latter 19th and turn of the century. While the takouba itself is of course distinctly a Tuareg weapon, it is well known to be used by other Saharan tribes in western Sahara regions, and in variations as seen here. They remain an important element of traditional fashion, and as weapons in degree, just as the well known takoubas of the Tuareg (despite the prevalence of the AK47 . Best regards, Jim P.S. Check the search and read the excellent article on takoubas written by Lee Jones on this site for more detailed information. Just thought of one of these takouba variants from some time ago with a British blade by Mole!!!