Ethiopian belt??

roanoa · 18th February 2019, 03:37 PM

A while back I acquired an Ethiopian "BELT". Very fine piece. As soon as I received I realized that it was not a belt. Too short, no strap and buckle, and the central piece was not articulated so it could not fit around the waist. I guessed it was part of a horse harness. It was a "guess". Till I found this picture of Ras MULUGETA, Ethiopian Minister of War. So, there it is. The "belt", as I had guessed, is clearly part of a horse harness. It draped around the neck as part of a very elaborate and impressive decoration.

Martin Lubojacky · 19th February 2019, 08:03 AM

Hi Ron,

Thank you for this thread. I have similar "belt" - encl pls see the pictures.

Till now I thought it was a belt - and thanks for opening my eyes. I thought it was belt because they were small loops for straps fastening on the inner side of the belt (I thought it was replacing buckle) - see the picture.

After you opened this thread I went through all the old photos I have. And I really found two pictures confirming it was part of parade horse harness... One is very similar to mine.

Best
Martin

Martin Lubojacky · 19th February 2019, 08:14 AM

Just, two remarks when I am again expecting the pictures of a horseman above.

1. Mules - I read i various books that good mules were considered more valuable than horses in Ethiopia (stronger in mountains)
2. Very typical stirrup for one finger only ... (for me uncredible, I would wrench my finger off ...¨)

Norman McCormick · 19th February 2019, 07:21 PM

Hi Martin,
Less than usual rifle this chap has, full stock with double set triggers probably German or Austrian. Not the kind of firearm I would have expected to see in this context but again this area is not one I am familiar with.
My Regards,
Norman.

Martin Lubojacky · 20th February 2019, 05:34 PM

Hi Norman,
I am bad at old rifles. I think there was mixture of long guns from all over the world in that time Ethiopia and all of them were fit for military purposes ...
Regards,
Martin

Norman McCormick · 20th February 2019, 05:41 PM

Hi Martin,
The reason I was a bit surprised is that this particular rifle would not have been military issue but would have been a comparatively expensive hunting rifle in a very European configuration. Thanks for getting back to me.
My Regards,
Norman.

18th February 2019, 03:37 PM	#1
roanoa Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 241	Ethiopian belt?? A while back I acquired an Ethiopian "BELT". Very fine piece. As soon as I received I realized that it was not a belt. Too short, no strap and buckle, and the central piece was not articulated so it could not fit around the waist. I guessed it was part of a horse harness. It was a "guess". Till I found this picture of Ras MULUGETA, Ethiopian Minister of War. So, there it is. The "belt", as I had guessed, is clearly part of a horse harness. It draped around the neck as part of a very elaborate and impressive decoration. Attached Images

19th February 2019, 08:03 AM	#2
Martin Lubojacky Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Czech Republic Posts: 843	Hi Ron, Thank you for this thread. I have similar "belt" - encl pls see the pictures. Till now I thought it was a belt - and thanks for opening my eyes. I thought it was belt because they were small loops for straps fastening on the inner side of the belt (I thought it was replacing buckle) - see the picture. After you opened this thread I went through all the old photos I have. And I really found two pictures confirming it was part of parade horse harness... One is very similar to mine. Best Martin Attached Images

19th February 2019, 07:21 PM	#4
Norman McCormick Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 1,613	Hi Martin, Less than usual rifle this chap has, full stock with double set triggers probably German or Austrian. Not the kind of firearm I would have expected to see in this context but again this area is not one I am familiar with. My Regards, Norman. Attached Images

19th February 2019, 08:14 AM	#3
Martin Lubojacky Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Czech Republic Posts: 843	Just, two remarks when I am again expecting the pictures of a horseman above. 1. Mules - I read i various books that good mules were considered more valuable than horses in Ethiopia (stronger in mountains) 2. Very typical stirrup for one finger only ... (for me uncredible, I would wrench my finger off ...¨)

20th February 2019, 05:34 PM	#5
Martin Lubojacky Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Czech Republic Posts: 843	Hi Norman, I am bad at old rifles. I think there was mixture of long guns from all over the world in that time Ethiopia and all of them were fit for military purposes ... Regards, Martin

20th February 2019, 05:41 PM	#6
Norman McCormick Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 1,613	Hi Martin, The reason I was a bit surprised is that this particular rifle would not have been military issue but would have been a comparatively expensive hunting rifle in a very European configuration. Thanks for getting back to me. My Regards, Norman.