Takouba with five fullers

[Marc M.]

Apparently something went wrong with the texts, another attempt with the correct text.
Jim thanks for your kind words, we all do our best to provide examples and information on the site.
Best regards
Marc

Weapons
For the Tuareg nobles, the main task of the enads was the manufacture and
repair of weapons: sword, iron lance, spear, dagger and shield. The weapons
sometimes differed depending on social status.
THE SWORD, takuba [tacouba] (cat. 148-153) Most blades are old weapons
imported from Europe or North Africa. Ch. de Foucauld testifies: 'All
[swords] are old. None were made in Ahaggar. They are almost all of European
origin; this is proven by the manufacturer's marks; most come from
Germany, Italy, Spain or France; some, with Christian marks, are said to
have come from Egypt; many are from the 16º century. The swords have
no external decoration. Their value is estimated according to the quality
of the blade. Every man in the Ahaggar owns a weapon... The Kel Ahaggar
classify the blades of the swords into different types, according to the quality
and color of the steel, the thickness of the blade, the number of grooves
26,
etc.
Swords were also forged in some tribes, including the Iwellemds, but
the Tuareg are the first to recognize that they are always of questionable
quality. However, the imported blades were always provided with handles
and sheaths according to Tuareg standards; the blades were repaired if
necessary. In more recent times, craftsmen in the Ahaggar now make their
own complete takubas with a blade forged from a blade of chariot
springs due to high demand. 27
'It is a straight, flat, double-edged sword of the old type with a cross-shaped
handle. It is 1 m long and 5 to 9 cm wide below the stitch and gradually ends
in a rounded point. The bail is rectangular and wide and the handle is short,
because the Tuareg have small hands. The knob is flattened and decorated. The
handle and the bail form a Latin cross. The type is always the same, although the
blades can be very different in quality and shape, ranging from the old Toledo

steel with the brand 'Carlos V' to the iron object called 'Masri'
blade, manufactured in the north. Some are elaborately decorated,
but the most valuable swords are plain with two or three fine
grooves in the middle; they are probably of European make. The
most common Masri lemmers bear as a mark two opposite 'man-
in-the-moon' crescents that look at each other;
another cheap version
shows a small reclining lion. The Tuareg consider their sword their
most valuable possession and many, like Ahodu, speak proudly of
a blade that has belonged to their family for generations. His sword
was believed to possess magical properties. Its owner lost it in
a battle at Assode, where he threw it into the air rather than allow it
to be seized by the enemy. It was recovered years later by a slave,
buried deep in the rocky bottom of a knoll near the battlefield.
The sword is carried on a cotton strap at the shoulder in a leather
sheath with two rings. The sides of the blade are very sharp. As a
weapon, these swords are very efficient. Ahodu was wounded in a raid
by a sword blow that knocked away his shield. The wound ran from his
left shoulder to his left knee and cut deep into his arm and side. Most
Europeans have died from the wound; but he recovered and had
to travel from the battlefield to Aïr for four days.' 28
It was used in hand-to-hand combat as a cutting weapon, together
with the shield to ward off blows from the opponent. But a blow with a
good quality sword could split a shield in half. It was a typical fighting
weapon of the nobleman; in recent times, some vassal groups,
such as the imrad of the Kel Ahaggar, had also acquired the right to bear
a sword. 29
The dagger, telek [strike]
THE LONG ARM DAGGER, azegiz (cat. 154-160) Telek or telak is a common
name for a dagger; it also includes the azegiz, a rare long-arm dagger from
the Ahaggar. In the Ahaggar the telak is always an arm dagger.3º It was worn
on the left forearm by means of the bracelet attached to the sheath.
'The arm dagger is the most typical of all Tuareg weapons. They appear
to be the only people who use it: it has a small, cross-shaped handle and
a long, narrow and flat blade. This weapon is worn along the forearm, with
the point pointed towards the elbow and the handle under the hand, ready
for use: the sheath is equipped with a leather ring that is slid over the wrist. The
stitch is held in the hand, knuckles upwards and two fingers on each side
of the long arm of the cross. In fact, it is a short stabbing weapon, the most
useful and formidable weapon of the people with the veil.'3"
The daggers used in the Ahaggar were made locally, more specifically
at Ghât, or at In-Salah. In Agadez old, worn-out swords were
forged.33 Already in Foucauld's time they were disappearing: 'They used
to be carried by most of the men in Ahaggar; they are increasingly
falling into disuse. The ageziz have always been rare. 34
'The knives with sheath of 15 cm long,
with openwork handle or with
copper handle with inlay and with sheath of red leather or of leather and
copper, are worn at the side.'35

THE IRON LANCE, allar. This weapon was completely
forged from iron: blade, shaft and heel. The latter has the shape of a
chisel or an axe.
'It is a slender and beautiful weapon that can be 1.82 m long. The
point is very narrow, not more than 2.5 cm: the lance is widest in the
center of the blade, which extends on either side of a distinct central
rib. Below the point there are one or more pairs of barbs in the
plane of the blade. The shaft is round, measures approximately 1.3 cm in
diameter and is inlaid with copper rings. There is a leather grip about
two-thirds of the way down the shaft; below this is an annular projection
and then the shaft widens to end in the form of a chisel-shaped heel
4-5 cm wide. These spears are used as a lance or as a throwing weapon.
They are graceful and balanced, but are not made on site. Where
they occur, Tuares influence is clear. It was a weapon of the
nobles. It may be considered essential for warfare.
The spear with iron blade and heel and with wooden shaft, tarda. It
was a weapon of vassals and apparently in more recent times, also of slaves. It
was the common hunting weapon of vassals.
The peak with a wide blade and a hook, ajamba. "The Imuhar also possessed
a weapon that is now untraceable, the ajamba, a short pike of two elbow lengths
with a broad leaf-shaped point with a receding hook. It has a wooden
shaft with copper decoration and an iron heel.**
THE BUD, taburi [taboûri, aburi] Usually a wooden club was the only weapon
that the slaves, iklan, were allowed to carry.
THE SHIELD, ahrer [arer] (cat. 163) The Tuareg had the shield as their
only defensive weapon. It was the prerogative of the nobles and could only be
worn by them. It was made from the skin of the Oryx antelope (the éhem antelope,
according to Father Ch. de Foucauld). The region of production was the
Sudan.
'To defend themselves they use large, more or less rectangular shields
measuring approximately 150 cm by 90 cm. It is made from dried skin from
which the fur has been removed. The best shields are made in Elakkos
and in some parts of Damergou with the skin of the oryx antelope. The edges
are made of thickened leather, but the shield is stiff and at the same time
remains quite flexible because it is made of only one layer of skin. The
corners are rounded and the sides slightly curved. The bottom is a few
cm wider than the top. A loop in the center of the top serves to hang the
shield from the camel saddle. In use, it is held with the left hand by the
handle, which is located at the back approximately one-third of the length
from the top. Although the shield protects the entire body due to its
dimensions, there are no arm loops, because it is too clumsy to move quickly
and deflect blows. The skin of the white oryx is very hard and is said to
repel all sword blows and most spear thrusts.
The shield is especially remarkable for its decoration. The most beautifully
finished shields have metal decorative buttons with circles of red fabric at
the edges. There is always a colorless cross-shaped motif, made from a series
of small incisions on a center line of the upper part. On all the examples I saw have, and it is probably true in most cases, the drawings are very similar
and certainly have a symbolic meaning, for the shield and cross
motif are said to be engraved on rocks. The motif appears to be derived
from a Latin cross, the lower and longest arm of which terminates
in a group of diagonal elements, usually three on each side, forming a
star-shaped pattern. In this form it resembles the Christian cross on top
of a radiant mass representing light and glory. Some examples, however,
have these radiant signs both at the top and bottom of the cross.'42
Magical properties were attributed to the abstract motif located in
the center axis of the upper half. 43
The shield shown here is characterized by the presence of pieces of
red cloth, green leather and white metal and brass rivets. The decoration
engraved in the skin, on the other hand, extends over the entire surface.
As early as 1959, Gast reported that the Tuareg no longer had shields and
that no more were being made. As a weapon it disappeared for two reasons:
because the oryx became increasingly rare and because of the spread of firearms,
which made the use of the three-piece ensemble - iron lance, arm dagger and
shield - outdated.
STONE BRACELET, ahbeg The stone bracelet was sometimes mentioned as a weapon; In
our opinion, the current form does not appear to be useful as a weapon. See: 'Jewelry and
padlocks.'
FIREARMS Firearms appear to have been in use even before the French colonization.