Kaskara in Silver Dress: an essay for comment and discussion by Ed Hunley

[TVV]

On the subject of silver hilted kaskara in published works, it is true that there is a scarcity of images. In Tirri's "Islamic and Native Weapons of Colonial Africa" in fig. 1-13 there are a couple of kaskara swords with what looks like some metal on the hilt, but nothing worth including here. In Spring there is one silver hilted kaskara in a black and white photo. North of course has the famous Ali Dinar sword from the V&A Museum.

However, there is one publication that contains a couple of very interesting silver hilted kaskaras - "Islamic and Oriental Arms & Armor, A Lifetime Passion" by Robert Hales on p.360. This book also has an image of the Sotheby's sword.

Regards,
Teodor

[Edster]

Teodor,

Great catch. Thanks. I've found three other I'll post as soon as I can create good detailed images, hopefully today:
Victoria & Albert Museum M.47-1953 and Royal Armories Leeds XXVIS.165 & 166. #166 has a double pommel almost exactly like yours except for the very top and all three have star & comet covers as does yours. The more we dig the more family features we find.

Regards,
Ed

[Edster]

Here are three more Star & Comet covers. All in the same motif. They are not identical suggesting they were produced by different artisans.

1. Victoria and Albert Museum M.47-1953
2. Royal Armouries Collections, Leeds XXVIS.166. Note the double pommel. Its similar to the one posted above by Teodor.
3. Royal Armouries Collections, Leeds XXVIS.165. Wire wrapped at bottom just like #166.

[TVV]

Great images Ed, thank you for digging those up. I know the discussion is on the hilts, but the one you posted from the Victoria & Albert Museum has a really interesting blade, probably Persian and quite old.

Teodor

[Edster]

Here's the link to the V&A sword. The image will enlarge to give great detail. They say the blade is 17th Cent. and gives the maker's name. Its #M.47-1953 in case the link doesn't work.
http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O71642/sword/

Best,
Ed

[Iain]

Originally Posted by TVV

On the subject of silver hilted kaskara in published works, it is true that there is a scarcity of images. In Tirri's "Islamic and Native Weapons of Colonial Africa" in fig. 1-13 there are a couple of kaskara swords with what looks like some metal on the hilt, but nothing worth including here. In Spring there is one silver hilted kaskara in a black and white photo. North of course has the famous Ali Dinar sword from the V&A Museum.

However, there is one publication that contains a couple of very interesting silver hilted kaskaras - "Islamic and Oriental Arms & Armor, A Lifetime Passion" by Robert Hales on p.360. This book also has an image of the Sotheby's sword.

Regards,
Teodor

I'm fascinated by the sword on the right in this image. Its almost takouba like in guard construction, including the scabbard fittings. Anyone know where it ended up or have more images?

[stephen wood]

A fascinating piece, thank you so much.

I used Pallme's "Travels..." extensively some years ago in one of my talks about the Kaskara to the Arms and Armour Society at the Tower of London.

"Knell" seems to be a typo. It should read "Kull" as on this Cavalry Sabre. Curiously, I have not yet found a Kaskara with a blade by this maker.

This thread from ten tears ago is worth a look.

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?p=83072

[Edster]

Stephen,

Thanks for your comments. I'm now today revising/updating this essay in prep for it to be converted into a pdf, as already are the other two essays. I'll incorporate comments above, especially an enlarged pommels section and would appreciate any additional comments you may offer

Best regards,
Ed

[stephen wood]

Ed,

I don't know if you have seen this text published in 1910, there is a section about swords among the Tigre which describes fullers and markings. This text was the theme, along with Burckhardt, of my third talk at the Arms and Armour Society.

It names five types, the fuller arrangements and marks will be familiar.


"THE NAMES OF SWORDS.

The [swords] that were renowned and had a name and
were inherited as heirlooms always by the first born sons,



1) Cf. above p. 184, No. 844.

2) The man who divided and pointed at the different portions with his
staff put down his staff upon the remainder.



SPECIES OF SWORDS



are the following. They did not carry them, however; but
they kept them as precious heirlooms.

[Those that have a name among. the Bet-Abrehe are the
following].

i. Black [of Gabres]. 2. ^Eldy, and 3. Lebteb (probably
from lablaba "he hurt"), [belonging to Hasala son of Tas-
faconj. 4. Narrow [of Harsoy]. 5. Black-white [of Bula],

[Among the Habab is known:] 6. Narrow [of 6aweg].

[Among the c Ad Takles are known :]

7. ^Albenay [of Naseh]. 8. Handmaids-worth, [belonging to
the c Ad 6eme c ]. 9. Half-silver [belonging to the c Ad Derar].
10. Black, and n. KabUlay [belonging to the c Ad Nauraddln].
12. Cutter [belonging to the G Ad Tedros].

[Among the c Ad Temaryam:]

13. Quick [of Sekkar]. 14. Shed [of D Eshaq]. 15. All-killer ! )
[of C AH son of Gabres]. 16. Black [of Be 3 emnat]. 17. Black
[of 3 Ezaz son of Gerenat]. 18. Cutter [of Fekak].

[Among the (jemmegan, in Tigrina Dembezan, i. e. the
region between c Ad Taklezan and Wara:] 19. Piercer.
20. Soldier. 21. White. 2 )

The names of some other swords [not owned by a known
family or man] are the following:

22. Marrow-eater. 23. Shearing. 24. Hurting. 25. Goats-
worth. 26. Dark-speckled. 27. Handmaids-worth. 28. Cutter.
29. Erring.

93- p - 173-

SPECIES OF SWORDS.

The swords are judged by their marks, and are called
"valuable" or "of little value." And .each species has a name.



1) Literally: Father of it all.

2) Cf. also the "Black" of Hakin wad Madln, Vol. Ill and IV, No. 672, 1. 13.



2O6 CUSTOMS

A.'Afren/i; B. MaJiawt; C. Kdr ; D. ^Abutfes; E. Bonkay.
Their marks are the following.

A. The ^Afrengl species.

1. The ^^Afrtngi from Sennar" is valuable. Its marks are:
above the pommel ') four lines along side each other, a span
long. And this is called the " D AfrengI with four streams."

2. But if together with the four lines there is a drum or
a lion or a serpent or a fly [carvedj on it, it is called
"^Afrengl Selemanl;" and this is more valuable than the
foregoing.

3. The "Black DAfrengI" is from Kabasa. Its mark is: a
broad line, a span long, above the pommel, and there is a
fly on it. It is the "Black ^Afrengi" and is also valuable;
and they are all [three] costly.

B. The Mahawl species.

1. The "Rhinoceros-hoof Mahawl" is valuable. Its marks
are: three lines, a span long, above its pommel, and two
crescents with their openings facing each other, and also
the hoof of a rhinoceros. It is costly.

2. The "Running-stream Mahawl" however, has the lines
reaching to its point; it is cheap. Or, again, if one of the

P. 174. lines is a little longer, and the two others are shorter, and
if the crescents face outward, it is [also] called the "Running-
stream Mahawl, and it is of little value, too.

C. The Kar species.

i. The "Closed Kar" has the following marks: it is "closed"
(i. e. without carving) from the pommel upward for a span,
and after that there is a broad line on it; or, again, together
with the closed space below, it is "closed" also above, be-
ginning from the point; for a span, and the broad line is in



i) In these descriptions the sword is always imagined point up.


the middle, and half of it is ornamented with small irregular
lines: it is valuable. Its price is like [that of], the ^Afrengl.
And it is called the "Closed Kar" or the "Erring."

2. But if the Kar is carved with a broad line up to the
point, it is of little value; and it is the sword of the high-
waymen only.

D. The ^Abut/'es species.

The ^Abute^es has under its pommel ') a square ornamented
with little irregular lines; and above the pommel it has a
broad line, a span long. It is of little value. And when it
is used in striking, it has sometimes a "dark day."

E. The Bonkay species is also of little value. 2 )
"

[Edster]

Thanks, Stephen. I couldn't get access to an English version via Archive ,only German, nor from Libgen.

Interesting apparent parallels between kaskara and Ethiopian broad swords, but yet several major differences as I interpret the Ethiopian terminology. Any relevant images in the Princeton book?

The afrengi types must be with foreign (European) blades. The fly, lion, and half moon markings are German and must have been imported well before the 1905-10 period. I'm surprised that 4-line fullers were specified. German & local blades with line fullers on kaskara were three and none that I know of had 4. I few had five, but they were most likely locally made outliers as noted in the Fullers essay.

In the EAA forum, many examples of the full length Kar/Khor were thought to have been made in Ethiopia. Some with two fairly wide fullers with Amharic letters inside. Kassala makers apparently copied Ethiopian designs on this type.

Thanks for sharing,
Regards,
Ed

[Jim McDougall]

Ed, this thread is outstanding, as is the paper you are developing and sharing here. It is truly exciting to see such scholarship in thoroughly examining this sword form, and finally compiling some resolving data in understanding these historic swords.

In reading through this, I have attempted to work my way through my own disheveled notes over some years of research I had worked on with various persons including some great conversations with you.

I wanted to add what I can here, as well as bring in some thoughts/questions.

The earliest example of the sword we recognize as the 'kaskara' as noted with the Funj Sultan Nasir Mohammed (1762-69) is interesting, especially with this star and comet motif. I had thought this cosmological concept with comets had come from the Mahdist period and had to do with his coming (Nigmet al Mahdi) and noted the great comet of 1882. Clearly this sign was already well known in the Islamic Dogma in these regions much earlier.
Also, the cosmological theme seems highly favored in blade decoration (the moons in some later blades with linear groups (on some 'lohr' blades).
In the comet and stars pattern motif in these hilts, it seems like there is a buduh square but with dots, at least it is what it reminds me of.

It is interesting that as late as 1870s, when Burton was researching his 1884 "Book of the Sword" , he saw these swords as from the Danakil (Afar from Ethiopian regions). While he used the term kaskara for broadswords of the Baggara tribes to the west, he does not seem to associate them with the 'Danakil' swords (illustrated as exactly kaskara in form).

The Princeton (1910) work posted here shows these swords to be of the Tigre, a people of Eritrea and Sudan. Other references noting kaskara seem to consider these of these regions, such as the "Voyage to Abysssinae" Theophile Lefebvre (1845) which interestingly illustrates a DUAL SPHERE 'kaskara' type sword (from 'History and Antiquities of Darfur' H.C. Balfour Paul , Sudan Antiquities Pamplet, 1955).
It would seem that 'kaskara' were a broadsword which evolved, probably through Mamluk sword types (?) in Sennar regions early (1760s at least) and were diffused into Ethiopian, Eritrean regions accordingly.

The subject of the dual sphere pommel, I found noted ( "Mahdism and the Egyptian Sudan" F.R.Wingate . 1891, p.137) ….." a pommel of twin flattened hollow spheres filled with beans or small pebbles- common among mounted nobility in Darfur. During victory celebrations Mahdist cavalry charged toward surrendered troops at full gallop, with these swords drawn and shook them to frighten the prisoners".
This was concurred in "Ten Years in the Mahdist Camp 1882-92" by Father Joseph Ohrwalder (1892).

As previously noted from the French book of 1845 (Lefebvre) one of these dual pommel swords is drawn, and presumably of Ethiopian origin.

The illustrations are of the dual sphere pommel shown earlier in this thread.
Next an Ali Dinar period kaskara I have, note the crocodile hide, also the unusual marking at forte which has been thought perhaps to be the Kull death head as interpreted.