Ethiopian Shotel or Gurade to share

[Jim McDougall]

Teo, Im glad to see you come in on this, and your research and thorough insights on weapon forms is formidable as I have learned all these years.
I understand what you are saying, and quite honestly most of this came from various collectors in the years when I acquired my example (about 1996).

I do not think these were ever in Morocco in any great numbers, and as we have noted over the years if they had been significant there, they surely would have been included in Buttin (1933) which was written some time before that date while he resided there.
It seems that Tirri(2004) noted that these 'Berber sabers' were examples from the 'Rif' wars in the 1920s. However there is no specific mention of why these machete/sabers from the Caribbean regions would be in the Spanish protectorate or colonies in Morocco. I cannot cite a source for the suggestion of conscripts or volunteers, but it was something I recall hearing or reading.

Alain Jacob in "Les Armes Blanches du Monde" (1985) includes one in the Hispano-Moresque chapter. It does seem most references concur with your Dominican attribution, but these do seem to have circulated in other Spanish locations.

It is a good point about why would forces going to Morocco take their own weapons, unless they were indeed volunteers. While these Caribbean regions were independent, there were notable populations of Spanish immigrants from what I have understood. It would of course take more research on these events in the Rif to learn more on the forces. While these were clearly 'machetes' , which would seem odd to carry to these Moroccan regions , if irregular forces they would have used what they had.

Returning to the original topic, why would a scabbard feature from Morocco end up in Ethiopia or vice versa?

Page from Tirri, and Oriental Arms describing these as Moroccan 'Berber' sabers.

[roanoa]

A couple of comments. I also believe that the hilt is hardwood (same used in Beja daggers) and not horn. Martin may share my opinion that the hilt itself is a "field" replacement. I also agree with Martin that the darkening of the rhino horn is not due to use of dyes. I personally think that the horn hilts were frequently treated with oils to prevent cracking and that some coloring may have happened as a result. Plus the Abyssinians ate food spiced up with local "berbere" (red chilly powder) and the oily residue would transfer from the hands to the sword hilt... Interestingly enough we see quite a few hilts made with two pieces of rhino horn of different color (beautiful gorade, Jim!). Jim, the last picture you posted clearly shows the use of a British 1796 light cavalry blade with its unmistakable hatchet point (blade that widens at the tip) reshaped.

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by roanoa

A couple of comments. I also believe that the hilt is hardwood (same used in Beja daggers) and not horn. Martin may share my opinion that the hilt itself is a "field" replacement. I also agree with Martin that the darkening of the rhino horn is not due to use of dyes. I personally think that the horn hilts were frequently treated with oils to prevent cracking and that some coloring may have happened as a result. Plus the Abyssinians ate food spiced up with local "berbere" (red chilly powder) and the oily residue would transfer from the hands to the sword hilt... Interestingly enough we see quite a few hilts made with two pieces of rhino horn of different color (beautiful gorade, Jim!). Jim, the last picture you posted clearly shows the use of a British 1796 light cavalry blade with its unmistakable hatchet point (blade that widens at the tip) reshaped.

Thank you so much! I was hoping you'd come in on this as you have always had the final word on these weapons. Have you published anything further on Abyssinian/Ethiopian arms?

Interesting note on that chile powder residue, and it seems somewhere there were cases of kaskara with traces of red on the hilt.