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Originally Posted by Edster
Open idea to the Forum:
What do you all think about developing an interactive world map that shows where and what ethnographic weapons are still in common use today? It would exclude cultural relics or museum pieces but only include weapons that continue today to play a active cultural role in the parent society as the jambiya (dress use) and dancing swords in Oman or the kaskara in Sudan as a wedding symbol and no doubt as an active weapon in parts of the Butana or the Sudan-Ethiopian borderlands. Bows and arrows are still active in Papua New Guinea, although the regular machette or bush knife has the chief role as tool and weapon, but guns are creeping into the Highlands. Puukas still enjoy field use in Finland. My personal knowledge base is limited, but there are wide array of active weapons-ethnic groups observed in several recent posts.
Perhaps members could submit ethnic groups, their geographical range and photographs of the weapons still in common use along with commentary. This info would then be managed and placed on a map by someone with those graphics and database skills.
What do we think?
Regards,
Ed
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Salaams Ed, This is an interesting idea.I wonder how detailed it needs to be. I can get down to regional info but separate tribal groupings are blurred in reference to artefacts. We would be talking about Northern Oman, Central Oman, Southern Oman rather than specific tribes... with perhaps some research on the Bedouin periphery... Al Murrah, Rashid, and so on. Its worth doing as an ongoing project to start with. Certainly would be great to have a press button map indicator so people can see where its all from. As a matter of course I think it would be a good idea to open each discussion with a map of the region (where possible and where practical) so that Forum have a good idea on the ground plan..I think this is a good idea in the case of the bigger discussions..It may also be an idea to add in retrospect at the front of a discussion so to enhance its quality.
Maps are done very effectively by Dom and others on the Flyssa situation. I suppose to that end I can include an ethnographic map of Oman..just as an example.
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.