Flyssa - I finally got one!!

[Emanuel]

Hello,

I was finally able to get a flyssa, the weapon that has obsessed me for quite some time. In 2005 I had gotten one on ebay, of the short variety, and a shipping error saw it snatched from my grasp. I got a refund at the time. (the exact same error happened twice more since)

Now the Bay comes through once again with this one. A 20 3/8" long affair in good condition but lacking the scabbard. That's a major loss, but at the price I got it I am quite happy. It was mislabelled and the auction ended in the middle of the night.

In her treaty on Kabyles sabres, Camille Lacoste-Desjardins notes that flyssa's made after 1850 were of a markedly lower quality than those made prior to 1850. She states that a number of tribes picked up production at a time when the flyssa was already obsolete as a weapon. Looking at the one I got and the way the little tacks that hold the brass on the handle, I wonder which type it may be. I suspect that the curved ones that look like hybrids with the "nimcha" daggers are of the later type and solely meant for ceremony/tourism.

As always, thoughts and comments would be much appreciated.
Regards,
Emanuel