Old Nigerian ?? Takouba

[Tim Simmons]

I don't think it is a tourist item. They are worn as part daily dress in some parts.

[TVV]

Marius, while the blade did not turn out to be an old one, you still did an impressive job of getting it out without damaging the scabbard. How did you do it?

[Marius66]

Hello all,
I first placed the metal ruler (without penetrating oil) gradually moving from left to right;
with the leather there was no problem, but it was still stuck at the maximum,
SobI tried to place the sword in the cold for a few hours to contract the metal (winter here) again the ruler about 40cm then I used a small wooden block and a hammer to get everything out by tapping on the brass trim delicately and gradually of course 1-2 mm
Again the ruler then again the wood block and hammer...

[Marius66]

For the extra size of the blade in comparison with the scabbard,
I saw that many of these southern takoubas have the base of the blade staying outside of the scabbard ,
This one richly decorated

[Marius66]

And this one with a brass stopper on the blade,

[Marius66]

I corrected-adjusted the pommel idem :
hammering on a
small wooden piece that I shaped as a bouterolle and use small rounded pliers

Patience...

[Jim McDougall]

Great work on retrieving that old warrior out of its shroud!
While obviously this is not an old weapon (still a venerable age) and it should be noted that with ethnographic weapons, their study is not necessarily of items of any particular antiquity, but of traditional forms still maintained.

Briggs (1965) is a most valuable reference (one I use endlessly it seems) but though mostly it is remarkably reliable, Im not sure if the 'southern' and 'central' classifications are hard and fast.

The takouba is widely used outside its Tuareg associations with other contiguous tribes, and with trans Saharan trade caravans and the typical nomadism of these tribes, there cannot truly be geographic classifications. The predominance of certain features does offer some rule of thumb however.

These swords were significant to tribesmen not only as weapons, but as marks of status and often. worn by chiefs and their officials or retinue.
Typically of course trade blades were used, but there does seem to have been the concept that wider blades signified power/status so many blades were fashioned in this way.

This blade seems likely of sheet steel, with crudely drawn fullers and the 'dukari' (moons) though terribly done. It is doubtful such a clearly one off product would be intended as a 'tourist' souvenir, but created as a 'sword' following tribal tradition to be worn in the sense following those traditions.

Even though not worth a lot collectibly, it is still an intriguing piece of ethnographica, probably from areas around Mali, Burkina Faso, though as noted, northern areas of Nigeria into Niger are also possible.

[Marius66]

Thank you !! 👍🙏