Jamdhar Katar

[corrado26]

I want to show you a jamdhar katar whose grip and blade are in one piece made of aluminium. I'd like to read your comments on this. Its total lenght is 350 mm, the blade has 185 mm and the sheeth is of wood and iron and its back is typically open.

[Jim McDougall]

This is indeed as described by Egerton (1885, #344,345.p.102) a 'jamdhar katari' and stated from Nepal.
These are part of a complex classification problem with Indian daggers, as the term katari which did apply to daggers in India of regular form such as these ended up being transposed to the transverse gripped dagger we now know as 'katar'. Actually these were correctly termed 'jamadhar' but the Egerton issue with term stuck.

As for this form dagger, which is clearly a quite modern example but made in the exact traditional form and as such is still a proper ethnographic example used by its people.

Those people are the Kalash, an Indo-Aryan people who are now situated in several valleys in Chitral in now Pakistan (just north of NW Frontier Province).
These people, though somewhat nominally Muslim are considered animists and still follow age old traditions and their Faith. (see references under 'Kalash').

Interestingly these people were known as Kafirs, and their proper land was in what is now Nuristan, but in the 19th c known as Kafiristan. This place is probably best known as the region popularized in the Kipling story "the Man Who Would be King". (1888).

A friend of mine some years ago was always traveling into Nepal, and he seemed to have quite a number of these and noted they were all over the place there. In research on the Kalash (Kafirs) I was communicating with a guy who while in the US, was of the Kalash people and told me a great deal on their circumstances in Chitral etc.

Interesting weapon, of traditional form probably from Chitral and though modern, probably still traditionally worn by these tribal people. These people always reminded me of the Khevsurs in remote mountain regions of Georgia in the Caucusus, who practice an animist Faith in the same manner, and were still using swords and edged weapons in 1930s+

[gp]

Questian I have looking at the hilt / grip:

must this not be an awfull combat weapon ….?
Holding it tight, certainly no pleasure in the palm of your hand and for a longer period of close combat quite painful and not safeguarding the tight grip one should need ….

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by gp

Questian I have looking at the hilt / grip:

must this not be an awfull combat weapon ….?
Holding it tight, certainly no pleasure in the palm of your hand and for a longer period of close combat quite painful and not safeguarding the tight grip one should need ….

As with many ethnographic edged weapons, especially more modern examples following traditional style, are not for combat, but more accoutrements for wear and certain cultural aspects such as ceremony or ritual. As Christopher Spring ("African Arms and Armor") once noted as writing on African 'throwing knives', there is often a 'western' need to explain how weapons were actually used, where many of these with unusual designs were indeed not for use in combat, but symbolic in their tribal culture.

Pragmatically though, these observations are indeed well placed.

[Rick]

We should remember that when aluminum was first discovered in the mid 19th century it was considered a precious metal. This Jamdhar katar may be older than you think.

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by Rick

We should remember that when aluminum was first discovered in the mid 19th century it was considered a precious metal. This Jamdhar katar may be older than you think.

Thats a very good point Rick! had not thought of that. I am always surprised at some of the materials used on weapons which I had thought of as 'modern'.

[BBJW]

Originally Posted by Rick

We should remember that when aluminum was first discovered in the mid 19th century it was considered a precious metal. This Jamdhar katar may be older than you think.

Or newer?-- bbjw

[corrado26]

at the beginning of the use of aluminium around 1850 it was considered more expensive than gold. So it might be possible that this piece is that old in particular because its blade and grip are made of the same material in oder to demonstrate one's wealth

[gp]

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

As with many ethnographic edged weapons, especially more modern examples following traditional style, are not for combat, but more accoutrements for wear and certain cultural aspects such as ceremony or ritual. As Christopher Spring ("African Arms and Armor") once noted as writing on African 'throwing knives', there is often a 'western' need to explain how weapons were actually used, where many of these with unusual designs were indeed not for use in combat, but symbolic in their tribal culture.

Pragmatically though, these observations are indeed well placed.

thank you very much for your explanation: highly appreciated !

[Jim McDougall]

My pleasure GP, thank you for posting it and the opportunity to revisit these as researched and discussed some years back.
Its always great that these kinds of discussions bring up important new considerations with this example and use of aluminum in earlier period. That is truly an angle not thought of, that it was almost a precious metal, and as such a show of wealth and power among tribal peoples. Thanks again Rick and Udo for those insights!