ethiopian dagger ? or from Sahara ?

francantolin · 14th May 2021, 08:30 PM

Hello dear members,
I just bought this small dagger, nothing special but I liked the ornaments on the scabbard
( seems small silver pieces and brass/copper pearls on leather parts)

The hilt is made of horn, not wood,
ending with a metallic chape/pommel ,
maybe made of aluminum.

The seller told me he took it bake from a trip in Sahara between Algeria and Niger 40 years ago.

It seems an authentic knife not just touristic stuff.
I wonder if it's not an ethiopian piece
( who travelled a little...) ??
( it looks like a small gurade-shotel hilt )

kahnjar1 · 14th May 2021, 10:16 PM

I would call this a GILE and likely from Ethiopia region. Very nice piece IMHO.
Stu

Jim McDougall · 14th May 2021, 10:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kahnjar1

I would call this a GILE and likely from Ethiopia region. Very nice piece IMHO.
Stu

Im with you Stu, the 'gile' has such a distinct blade shape, and these are used by the Afar people and associated tribes. The Afar region (depression) is in NE Ethiopia near Eritrea and these tribes extends into there as well as Somalia.

Duccio · 15th May 2021, 09:05 AM

Without a doubt an Afar Gile, every detail is absolutely coherent: shape of the blade, shape of the handle, materials and decoration of the scabbard, everything, in short.
And also the fact that it is not stuff made for tourists, but for practical use (generally the Afar were dedicated to pastoralism) seems to me to be evident. You are right to find a relationship with the shape of the shotel / gurade handle: the origin is the same.
Definitely no relationship with the Sahara or Algeria, unless, of course, it has not been sold or traded ...
Congratulations on your purchase.

francantolin · 15th May 2021, 11:04 AM

Thank you all for your comments
and help for fix the origin of the knife/dagger !!

I didn't know it was called a Gile.

I post two pictures of the hilt parts, a little translucence,
help me to confirm it is horn
( otherwise it was really difficult to say it wasn't wood , really look like...)

14th May 2021, 08:30 PM	#1
francantolin Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 876	ethiopian dagger ? or from Sahara ? Hello dear members, I just bought this small dagger, nothing special but I liked the ornaments on the scabbard ( seems small silver pieces and brass/copper pearls on leather parts) The hilt is made of horn, not wood, ending with a metallic chape/pommel , maybe made of aluminum. The seller told me he took it bake from a trip in Sahara between Algeria and Niger 40 years ago. It seems an authentic knife not just touristic stuff. I wonder if it's not an ethiopian piece ( who travelled a little...) ?? ( it looks like a small gurade-shotel hilt ) Attached Images

15th May 2021, 11:04 AM	#5
francantolin Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 876	Thank you all for your comments and help for fix the origin of the knife/dagger !! I didn't know it was called a Gile. I post two pictures of the hilt parts, a little translucence, help me to confirm it is horn ( otherwise it was really difficult to say it wasn't wood , really look like...) Attached Images

14th May 2021, 10:16 PM	#2
kahnjar1 Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: CHRISTCHURCH NEW ZEALAND Posts: 2,739	I would call this a GILE and likely from Ethiopia region. Very nice piece IMHO. Stu

15th May 2021, 09:05 AM	#4
Duccio Member Join Date: May 2020 Location: Florence, Italy Posts: 64	Without a doubt an Afar Gile, every detail is absolutely coherent: shape of the blade, shape of the handle, materials and decoration of the scabbard, everything, in short. And also the fact that it is not stuff made for tourists, but for practical use (generally the Afar were dedicated to pastoralism) seems to me to be evident. You are right to find a relationship with the shape of the shotel / gurade handle: the origin is the same. Definitely no relationship with the Sahara or Algeria, unless, of course, it has not been sold or traded ... Congratulations on your purchase.