Marking of weapons: Anthropologically and Sociologically

[Ann Feuerbach]

I can't really add anything. I was in Timbuktu and just asked the Tuareg I was buying a blade from what the markings on his sword meant, because you know I have to ask such things.
It was a squiggly line down the middle (Niger river) with marks on the side (cities and villages). Would never have guessed it but after he pointed it out, it made sense.

[DaveA]

Originally Posted by Ann Feuerbach

I can't really add anything. I was in Timbuktu and just asked the Tuareg I was buying a blade from what the markings on his sword meant, because you know I have to ask such things.
It was a squiggly line down the middle (Niger river) with marks on the side (cities and villages). Would never have guessed it but after he pointed it out, it made sense.

So it is a map. Fascinating. As artistic expression, this reminds me of the paintings by Aboriginals in the Western Australia desert. With lines, squiggles, dots and circles, the paintings represent "overhead" map-type views of the countryside (locations of food gathering sources, water) or important rituals (women dancing around a campfire).

Are there other designs on ethnographic weapons that could be interpreted this way?

[Jim McDougall]

Thank you so much Ann. That sounds most interesting, and I would note that there are certain markings of earlier European origin which did implememt an undulating line and in many cases dots along the line. Clearly the suggestion would be the serpent, and many of these markings had significant religious meanings as well as use by makers and regions.

The wavy lines if I recall correctly do occur variously in native use throughout North Africa, and similarly of course suggest serpent representation in degree. Many very old European blades entered their sphere in some cases hundreds of years ago, and native makers often adopted the markings they saw into thier own symbolism and parlance.

Our member Ed Hunley did a wonderful treatise on sword and knife blades in Kassala in 1985, and many of these instances were shown.

Fascinating note Dave on the Aborigines. While I have always thought somewhat that nomadic and tribal peoples were able to travel throughout thier habitats with an instinctive sense rather than formal directions, it does seem in certain situations some blade markings have had remarkable potential as possible maps.