Berber Cavalry Saber ??

TVV · 6th June 2013, 12:11 AM

Nice sword archer.

We have indeed discussed these mysterious swords at great length in the past. To me their attribution is unclear, but I have two of them with Spanish mottos: one the standard "No me saques..." motto, the other one "Para Los Valientes Dominicanos", likely referring to a particular event in the history of what is now the Dominican Republic. I am yet to see an inscription on the blade of this type of sword that is NOT in Spanish.

Therefore, to me it appears that they must have been used somewhere within the Spanish Colonial Empire. Assuming a 19th century attribution to these swords, the Spanish Empire at the time was limited to the Caribbean, the Philippines and a few areas in North-Western Africa. Maybe add a significant portion of South America and all of Central America, if they date to the very early decades of the 19th century. Of all these options, I am leaning towards Central America and the Caribbean for two main reasons:
- Charles Buttin does not include these swords in his description of weapons from the Maghreb;
- the Dominican reference on the inscription on one of my swords.

A quick search should bring the old discussion threads up.

Regards,
Teodor

P.S. 29 inches seems a bit too short for a cavalry weapon. Mine are not very long either, and I doubt these were ever intended for mounted use. But in narrow confines (such as on a ship) or in a jungle setting they seem to be just about the right size for a sidearm.

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6th June 2013, 12:11 AM	#4
TVV Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Bay Area Posts: 1,660	Nice sword archer. We have indeed discussed these mysterious swords at great length in the past. To me their attribution is unclear, but I have two of them with Spanish mottos: one the standard "No me saques..." motto, the other one "Para Los Valientes Dominicanos", likely referring to a particular event in the history of what is now the Dominican Republic. I am yet to see an inscription on the blade of this type of sword that is NOT in Spanish. Therefore, to me it appears that they must have been used somewhere within the Spanish Colonial Empire. Assuming a 19th century attribution to these swords, the Spanish Empire at the time was limited to the Caribbean, the Philippines and a few areas in North-Western Africa. Maybe add a significant portion of South America and all of Central America, if they date to the very early decades of the 19th century. Of all these options, I am leaning towards Central America and the Caribbean for two main reasons: - Charles Buttin does not include these swords in his description of weapons from the Maghreb; - the Dominican reference on the inscription on one of my swords. A quick search should bring the old discussion threads up. Regards, Teodor P.S. 29 inches seems a bit too short for a cavalry weapon. Mine are not very long either, and I doubt these were ever intended for mounted use. But in narrow confines (such as on a ship) or in a jungle setting they seem to be just about the right size for a sidearm.