Moplah Malabar Ayda Katti type chopper

Atlantia · 8th February 2012, 01:35 PM

Essentially this is an update, so read to the bottom!
First a big thanks to Chris, Gav, Stu, Jim, Dave and Richard for the help in the original thread about this chopper. I think that for clarity and to help with future searches I'm going to show my new findings here with links to the original sources.

Right, so here is the item in question:

Atlantia · 8th February 2012, 01:42 PM

Sorry for the multiple posts, it's going to be the only way I can set out the pictures.

Following the identification by those gentlemen mentioned above I took to google images to try and find a similar example I stumbled upon this chopper with similarites in the blade shape, which happened as it turns out to be from an old thread here.

Atlantia · 8th February 2012, 01:45 PM

...and in that thread, Jens linked to an old thread of Bill's showing this:

Atlantia · 8th February 2012, 01:50 PM

In that thread, Olikara comments on Bill's sword:

"Bill,
A very beautiful Katthi. Congrats.

This will be from the Moplah or 'Mappilai' people of Malabar. They are quite different from the Coorgis who are of Scythian and Hindu stock. The Mappilais are of Arab-Dravidian Muslim stock.

Coorg is adjacent to Malabar but not a part of Malabar. And very interestingly the Moplah rebellion of 1921 where the Moplahs rebelled against their Hindu landlords (Mostly Nair and Brahmin) was put down by the British who used their Gorkha levees to great effect. Moplah Katthis against the Kukris!

The Coorgis and Moplahs were never on the best of terms though. Tipu Sultan in order to subdue the ever restive Coorgis had a policy of settling Muslim populations from Mysore and adjoining Malabar into Coorg. Needless, to say after Tipu's destruction the Coorgis drove off most of these new settlers."

So, comments?

Atlantia · 11th February 2012, 03:15 PM

Is it possible that the initials are of the local dialect/script? What about the other way up?

Jens Nordlunde · 11th February 2012, 05:38 PM

Yes it is possible, but not very likely, as inscriptions are always read when holding the weapon. So should it be like you suggest, you should hold the weapon and then turn your hand, and that is not the way they would have done it.
Jens

8th February 2012, 01:35 PM	#1
Atlantia Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: The Sharp end Posts: 2,928	Moplah Malabar Ayda Katti type chopper Essentially this is an update, so read to the bottom! First a big thanks to Chris, Gav, Stu, Jim, Dave and Richard for the help in the original thread about this chopper. I think that for clarity and to help with future searches I'm going to show my new findings here with links to the original sources. Right, so here is the item in question: Attached Images Last edited by Atlantia; 8th February 2012 at 07:38 PM.

8th February 2012, 01:42 PM	#2
Atlantia Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: The Sharp end Posts: 2,928	Sorry for the multiple posts, it's going to be the only way I can set out the pictures. Following the identification by those gentlemen mentioned above I took to google images to try and find a similar example I stumbled upon this chopper with similarites in the blade shape, which happened as it turns out to be from an old thread here. Attached Images Last edited by Atlantia; 8th February 2012 at 01:53 PM.

8th February 2012, 01:45 PM	#3
Atlantia Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: The Sharp end Posts: 2,928	...and in that thread, Jens linked to an old thread of Bill's showing this: Attached Images

11th February 2012, 03:15 PM	#5
Atlantia Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: The Sharp end Posts: 2,928	Is it possible that the initials are of the local dialect/script? What about the other way up? Attached Images

8th February 2012, 01:50 PM	#4
Atlantia Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: The Sharp end Posts: 2,928	In that thread, Olikara comments on Bill's sword: "Bill, A very beautiful Katthi. Congrats. This will be from the Moplah or 'Mappilai' people of Malabar. They are quite different from the Coorgis who are of Scythian and Hindu stock. The Mappilais are of Arab-Dravidian Muslim stock. Coorg is adjacent to Malabar but not a part of Malabar. And very interestingly the Moplah rebellion of 1921 where the Moplahs rebelled against their Hindu landlords (Mostly Nair and Brahmin) was put down by the British who used their Gorkha levees to great effect. Moplah Katthis against the Kukris! The Coorgis and Moplahs were never on the best of terms though. Tipu Sultan in order to subdue the ever restive Coorgis had a policy of settling Muslim populations from Mysore and adjoining Malabar into Coorg. Needless, to say after Tipu's destruction the Coorgis drove off most of these new settlers." So, comments?

11th February 2012, 05:38 PM	#6
Jens Nordlunde Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Europe Posts: 2,718	Yes it is possible, but not very likely, as inscriptions are always read when holding the weapon. So should it be like you suggest, you should hold the weapon and then turn your hand, and that is not the way they would have done it. Jens