As always, thank you for the information Jim, and I've noted the Mossi/Fulani attributions...the takouba, like the kaskara is found over such a wide range that it's easy to erroneously focus on just one small area and thus leave oneself with built in blind spots.
Tom, the hilt is surprisingly comfortable in the hand as it's small enough that your palm just wraps around it, and yes, it's single edged, sharp on the outside of the curve widening to a thicker spine on the inside like a "real" dagger! **grin**
If you take Hal's comments about a "whirling dervish" style of fighting it's actually easy, as I said, to imagine this slicing without effort and yet having the potential for a return thrust, if delivered upward that would automatically slide right into the chest cavity, a "one-two" attack with awesome lethal potential that actually feels natural and probable, quite unusual for a ceremonial/tourist weapon.
Mike
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