Modern Sudanese 'Arm Daggers'

A.alnakkas · 18th July 2012, 12:48 PM

Very interesting! certainly great to see these people still maintaining a part of their cultures.

Jim McDougall · 18th July 2012, 03:53 PM

Absolutely phenomenal!!! Nicely done Rumpel, and glad to see you returned from these regions safely and thank you for such a fascinating view into troubled areas with tribal cultures prevailing still. We have long tried to asset that not all traditional weapons made in modern times are 'tourist stuff', and here is the proof.

katana · 18th July 2012, 07:22 PM

Hi Aris,
very informative, thank you.
typically the troubles in the Sudan are rarely reported in the UK or, I suspect, the US ..... why ? Sudan's lack of oil perhaps

All the best
David

Rumpel · 22nd July 2012, 03:20 AM

Thanks chaps...

Dom: that was utterly fascinating, and I strongly suspect you're right. Unfortunately, the smiths seemed genuinely quite irritated by me asking the meaning of the marks, and my 'minder,' a product of American missionary education, was quite keen to dismiss any evidence of pre-monotheistic belief... until it became too undeniable.

Tim, I've fallen in love with that axe... do you know whereabouts it's from, and when exactly? Mahdist or later? Increasingly, I think all of Sudan is a single culture area, weapon-wise, but I don't know for how long that"s been the case.

The semi-hunter-gathering Maban tribe, who splurge across the border, make some beautiful spears, but I don't have photos... but if anyone can point me to an interesting resource on Sudanese weapons, I'd be awfully grateful.

One interesting thing, as a long-time admirer of Sudanese weapons (BM: Durham University Collection; Pitt Rivers), was the wooden analogues to the fearsome, almost fantasy-like steel weapons seen in 19th c collections.

The wooden versions, at least, are called sarfraq or safrag, depending on thickness of dialect. Most peasants carried them; one colonel did, from a minority Muslim tribe, an old polished one, hanging from his shoulder. They use them as sort of boomerangs, to kill the plentiful Guinea fowl- or as threats in drunken arguments.

I'd be very surprised if the metal versions didn't descend from the God-knows-how-old wooden versions, at least considering Sudan's very ancient, Egyptian-influenced Neolithic culture.

18th July 2012, 12:48 PM	#1
A.alnakkas Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Kuwait Posts: 1,340	Very interesting! certainly great to see these people still maintaining a part of their cultures.

18th July 2012, 03:53 PM	#2
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,281	Absolutely phenomenal!!! Nicely done Rumpel, and glad to see you returned from these regions safely and thank you for such a fascinating view into troubled areas with tribal cultures prevailing still. We have long tried to asset that not all traditional weapons made in modern times are 'tourist stuff', and here is the proof.

18th July 2012, 07:22 PM	#3
katana Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Kent Posts: 2,658	Hi Aris, very informative, thank you. typically the troubles in the Sudan are rarely reported in the UK or, I suspect, the US ..... why ? Sudan's lack of oil perhaps All the best David

22nd July 2012, 03:20 AM	#4
Rumpel Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 63	Thanks chaps... Dom: that was utterly fascinating, and I strongly suspect you're right. Unfortunately, the smiths seemed genuinely quite irritated by me asking the meaning of the marks, and my 'minder,' a product of American missionary education, was quite keen to dismiss any evidence of pre-monotheistic belief... until it became too undeniable. Tim, I've fallen in love with that axe... do you know whereabouts it's from, and when exactly? Mahdist or later? Increasingly, I think all of Sudan is a single culture area, weapon-wise, but I don't know for how long that"s been the case. The semi-hunter-gathering Maban tribe, who splurge across the border, make some beautiful spears, but I don't have photos... but if anyone can point me to an interesting resource on Sudanese weapons, I'd be awfully grateful. One interesting thing, as a long-time admirer of Sudanese weapons (BM: Durham University Collection; Pitt Rivers), was the wooden analogues to the fearsome, almost fantasy-like steel weapons seen in 19th c collections. The wooden versions, at least, are called sarfraq or safrag, depending on thickness of dialect. Most peasants carried them; one colonel did, from a minority Muslim tribe, an old polished one, hanging from his shoulder. They use them as sort of boomerangs, to kill the plentiful Guinea fowl- or as threats in drunken arguments. I'd be very surprised if the metal versions didn't descend from the God-knows-how-old wooden versions, at least considering Sudan's very ancient, Egyptian-influenced Neolithic culture.