Takouba with five fullers

[Jim McDougall]

Marc, THANK YOU! so very much!
This is absolutely brilliant and important material, and I cannot thank you enough for the work you have put into this and sharing it here. It gives us so much more perspective and understanding of the complexities within these tribal confederations, and most importantly, how the takouba would have been integral in these.

This thread is proving to be a wonderful extension of the amazing work Iain Norman put together a number of years ago and the many discussions that were shared on these pages. I am hoping members more will join in with examples that we might add to these studies, and compile them into a comprehensive resource here .

Meanwhile, there is hope that Iain's work might be published, as it is one of the most essential studies on the takouba to be compiled in recent years on the takouba. Also,the amazing and thorough work by Ed on the kaskara and Sudanese edged weapons has provided important extension to the study of the takouba and the important associations between these North African swords.

Peter, I'd like to thank you again for creating this thread, and perfectly illustrating how this forum and the tenacious students of arms here have advanced our knowledge on them, now continuing with return to this important topic.

[Marc M.]

Apparently something went wrong with the texts, another attempt with the correct text.
Jim thanks for your kind words, we all do our best to provide examples and information on the site.
Best regards
Marc

Weapons
For the Tuareg nobles, the main task of the enads was the manufacture and
repair of weapons: sword, iron lance, spear, dagger and shield. The weapons
sometimes differed depending on social status.
THE SWORD, takuba [tacouba] (cat. 148-153) Most blades are old weapons
imported from Europe or North Africa. Ch. de Foucauld testifies: 'All
[swords] are old. None were made in Ahaggar. They are almost all of European
origin; this is proven by the manufacturer's marks; most come from
Germany, Italy, Spain or France; some, with Christian marks, are said to
have come from Egypt; many are from the 16º century. The swords have
no external decoration. Their value is estimated according to the quality
of the blade. Every man in the Ahaggar owns a weapon... The Kel Ahaggar
classify the blades of the swords into different types, according to the quality
and color of the steel, the thickness of the blade, the number of grooves
26,
etc.
Swords were also forged in some tribes, including the Iwellemds, but
the Tuareg are the first to recognize that they are always of questionable
quality. However, the imported blades were always provided with handles
and sheaths according to Tuareg standards; the blades were repaired if
necessary. In more recent times, craftsmen in the Ahaggar now make their
own complete takubas with a blade forged from a blade of chariot
springs due to high demand. 27
'It is a straight, flat, double-edged sword of the old type with a cross-shaped
handle. It is 1 m long and 5 to 9 cm wide below the stitch and gradually ends
in a rounded point. The bail is rectangular and wide and the handle is short,
because the Tuareg have small hands. The knob is flattened and decorated. The
handle and the bail form a Latin cross. The type is always the same, although the
blades can be very different in quality and shape, ranging from the old Toledo

steel with the brand 'Carlos V' to the iron object called 'Masri'
blade, manufactured in the north. Some are elaborately decorated,
but the most valuable swords are plain with two or three fine
grooves in the middle; they are probably of European make. The
most common Masri lemmers bear as a mark two opposite 'man-
in-the-moon' crescents that look at each other;
another cheap version
shows a small reclining lion. The Tuareg consider their sword their
most valuable possession and many, like Ahodu, speak proudly of
a blade that has belonged to their family for generations. His sword
was believed to possess magical properties. Its owner lost it in
a battle at Assode, where he threw it into the air rather than allow it
to be seized by the enemy. It was recovered years later by a slave,
buried deep in the rocky bottom of a knoll near the battlefield.
The sword is carried on a cotton strap at the shoulder in a leather
sheath with two rings. The sides of the blade are very sharp. As a
weapon, these swords are very efficient. Ahodu was wounded in a raid
by a sword blow that knocked away his shield. The wound ran from his
left shoulder to his left knee and cut deep into his arm and side. Most
Europeans have died from the wound; but he recovered and had
to travel from the battlefield to Aïr for four days.' 28
It was used in hand-to-hand combat as a cutting weapon, together
with the shield to ward off blows from the opponent. But a blow with a
good quality sword could split a shield in half. It was a typical fighting
weapon of the nobleman; in recent times, some vassal groups,
such as the imrad of the Kel Ahaggar, had also acquired the right to bear
a sword. 29
The dagger, telek [strike]
THE LONG ARM DAGGER, azegiz (cat. 154-160) Telek or telak is a common
name for a dagger; it also includes the azegiz, a rare long-arm dagger from
the Ahaggar. In the Ahaggar the telak is always an arm dagger.3º It was worn
on the left forearm by means of the bracelet attached to the sheath.
'The arm dagger is the most typical of all Tuareg weapons. They appear
to be the only people who use it: it has a small, cross-shaped handle and
a long, narrow and flat blade. This weapon is worn along the forearm, with
the point pointed towards the elbow and the handle under the hand, ready
for use: the sheath is equipped with a leather ring that is slid over the wrist. The
stitch is held in the hand, knuckles upwards and two fingers on each side
of the long arm of the cross. In fact, it is a short stabbing weapon, the most
useful and formidable weapon of the people with the veil.'3"
The daggers used in the Ahaggar were made locally, more specifically
at Ghât, or at In-Salah. In Agadez old, worn-out swords were
forged.33 Already in Foucauld's time they were disappearing: 'They used
to be carried by most of the men in Ahaggar; they are increasingly
falling into disuse. The ageziz have always been rare. 34
'The knives with sheath of 15 cm long,
with openwork handle or with
copper handle with inlay and with sheath of red leather or of leather and
copper, are worn at the side.'35

THE IRON LANCE, allar. This weapon was completely
forged from iron: blade, shaft and heel. The latter has the shape of a
chisel or an axe.
'It is a slender and beautiful weapon that can be 1.82 m long. The
point is very narrow, not more than 2.5 cm: the lance is widest in the
center of the blade, which extends on either side of a distinct central
rib. Below the point there are one or more pairs of barbs in the
plane of the blade. The shaft is round, measures approximately 1.3 cm in
diameter and is inlaid with copper rings. There is a leather grip about
two-thirds of the way down the shaft; below this is an annular projection
and then the shaft widens to end in the form of a chisel-shaped heel
4-5 cm wide. These spears are used as a lance or as a throwing weapon.
They are graceful and balanced, but are not made on site. Where
they occur, Tuares influence is clear. It was a weapon of the
nobles. It may be considered essential for warfare.
The spear with iron blade and heel and with wooden shaft, tarda. It
was a weapon of vassals and apparently in more recent times, also of slaves. It
was the common hunting weapon of vassals.
The peak with a wide blade and a hook, ajamba. "The Imuhar also possessed
a weapon that is now untraceable, the ajamba, a short pike of two elbow lengths
with a broad leaf-shaped point with a receding hook. It has a wooden
shaft with copper decoration and an iron heel.**
THE BUD, taburi [taboûri, aburi] Usually a wooden club was the only weapon
that the slaves, iklan, were allowed to carry.
THE SHIELD, ahrer [arer] (cat. 163) The Tuareg had the shield as their
only defensive weapon. It was the prerogative of the nobles and could only be
worn by them. It was made from the skin of the Oryx antelope (the éhem antelope,
according to Father Ch. de Foucauld). The region of production was the
Sudan.
'To defend themselves they use large, more or less rectangular shields
measuring approximately 150 cm by 90 cm. It is made from dried skin from
which the fur has been removed. The best shields are made in Elakkos
and in some parts of Damergou with the skin of the oryx antelope. The edges
are made of thickened leather, but the shield is stiff and at the same time
remains quite flexible because it is made of only one layer of skin. The
corners are rounded and the sides slightly curved. The bottom is a few
cm wider than the top. A loop in the center of the top serves to hang the
shield from the camel saddle. In use, it is held with the left hand by the
handle, which is located at the back approximately one-third of the length
from the top. Although the shield protects the entire body due to its
dimensions, there are no arm loops, because it is too clumsy to move quickly
and deflect blows. The skin of the white oryx is very hard and is said to
repel all sword blows and most spear thrusts.
The shield is especially remarkable for its decoration. The most beautifully
finished shields have metal decorative buttons with circles of red fabric at
the edges. There is always a colorless cross-shaped motif, made from a series
of small incisions on a center line of the upper part. On all the examples I saw have, and it is probably true in most cases, the drawings are very similar
and certainly have a symbolic meaning, for the shield and cross
motif are said to be engraved on rocks. The motif appears to be derived
from a Latin cross, the lower and longest arm of which terminates
in a group of diagonal elements, usually three on each side, forming a
star-shaped pattern. In this form it resembles the Christian cross on top
of a radiant mass representing light and glory. Some examples, however,
have these radiant signs both at the top and bottom of the cross.'42
Magical properties were attributed to the abstract motif located in
the center axis of the upper half. 43
The shield shown here is characterized by the presence of pieces of
red cloth, green leather and white metal and brass rivets. The decoration
engraved in the skin, on the other hand, extends over the entire surface.
As early as 1959, Gast reported that the Tuareg no longer had shields and
that no more were being made. As a weapon it disappeared for two reasons:
because the oryx became increasingly rare and because of the spread of firearms,
which made the use of the three-piece ensemble - iron lance, arm dagger and
shield - outdated.
STONE BRACELET, ahbeg The stone bracelet was sometimes mentioned as a weapon; In
our opinion, the current form does not appear to be useful as a weapon. See: 'Jewelry and
padlocks.'
FIREARMS Firearms appear to have been in use even before the French colonization.

[Jim McDougall]

Thanks Marc! Mucho better!

[Lee]

Just over two decades ago there was a brief window when tourism into Tuareg territory was not strongly discouraged and attempts to develop tourism were at their peak. This ended one night when ancient traditions were reawakened and two foreign parties were raided in the desert. I gave up my cash willingly at gunpoint and my passport, billfold with credit cards and clothes were courteously left with me. I think that night ended regional tourism hopes. Our tour limped back to Agadez where we had a few unplanned days. I went back to a local antique dealer (from whom I had acquired a few nice swords and lances) and he went over the naming of variations by fullers or curvature and wrote them on the back of a currency exchange slip. So, a five fullered blade, as above, is a takouba tamougass. Below is a scan of those notes.

[Helleri]

I'm going to go ahead and suggest that 5 fullers was a mechanical choice. For any not aware, the purpose of a fuller is to selectively strengthen a blade against flexing against it's width along it's long axis without adding or subtracting weight (ideally they are a hammer work feature).

While popular myth holds that they are "blood grooves"; That somehow pocket air or allow blood to flow making a blade easier to cut or thrust with. A wet handle from blood or more surface area causing less friction while passing through an elastic medium, simply makes no sense, and to the best of my knowledge has never been demonstrated to be the case.

Some things we do know about fullers from stress tests and photoelastic photography (looks at optical changes in a material through deformation) is that they seem to work best when dome/half cylinder/semi circle shaped in cross section; When spacing from another is not greater than the width of one; When depth is equal to the width of one.
[Note: if yall really want me to, I can dig all that info up again, but it's a few computers back now and I am in process of moving so might be a while.]

We also have to consider that different blades vary in width and ultimate thickness. So it's easier to put larger and fewer fullers on a thicker blade that has a strong lenticular, wedge, or diamond shape. Because thicker means they can afford to be deeper, thus wider, and thus fewer.

personally I think this blade has the right amount of fullers for it's apparent width vs thickness and what it looks like they were trying to do, which was probably to have differential flexibility throughout the blade but with uniform tempering and heat treatment. Or in other words the maker seems to have been looking to do the most mechanically with the least work. Hot forged fullering is pretty quick and easy compared to careful differential tempering and heat treating.

[Marc M.]

Originally Posted by Helleri

I'm going to go ahead and suggest that 5 fullers was a mechanical choice. For any not aware, the purpose of a fuller is to selectively strengthen a blade against flexing against it's width along it's long axis without adding or subtracting weight (ideally they are a hammer work feature).

While popular myth holds that they are "blood grooves"; That somehow pocket air or allow blood to flow making a blade easier to cut or thrust with. A wet handle from blood or more surface area causing less friction while passing through an elastic medium, simply makes no sense, and to the best of my knowledge has never been demonstrated to be the case.

Some things we do know about fullers from stress tests and photoelastic photography (looks at optical changes in a material through deformation) is that they seem to work best when dome/half cylinder/semi circle shaped in cross section; When spacing from another is not greater than the width of one; When depth is equal to the width of one.
[Note: if yall really want me to, I can dig all that info up again, but it's a few computers back now and I am in process of moving so might be a while.]

We also have to consider that different blades vary in width and ultimate thickness. So it's easier to put larger and fewer fullers on a thicker blade that has a strong lenticular, wedge, or diamond shape. Because thicker means they can afford to be deeper, thus wider, and thus fewer.

personally I think this blade has the right amount of fullers for it's apparent width vs thickness and what it looks like they were trying to do, which was probably to have differential flexibility throughout the blade but with uniform tempering and heat treatment. Or in other words the maker seems to have been looking to do the most mechanically with the least work. Hot forged fullering is pretty quick and easy compared to careful differential tempering and heat treating.

Correct, fullers make a blade lighter and stiffer. The lighter a blade is the faster you can move it and stiff enough that during that movement and under impact it doesn't go out of all directions.

Best regards
Marc

[Edster]

Lee,

You certainly had a harrowing experience, but ultimately no doubt exciting and rewarding.

Although it might be a stretch, I wonder if the fuller type terms giving by the antique dealer would have any parallel meanings or what ever with the five, three and one wide & deep fuller types identified for the Kaskara. I tried to find on-line translations in Tamaskek and Tamahaq as Tuareg langages, but no luck. There are paid sites that I did not pursue.

Best,
Ed

[Helleri]

Originally Posted by Marc M.

Correct, fullers make a blade lighter and stiffer. The lighter a blade is the faster you can move it and stiff enough that during that movement and under impact it doesn't go out of all directions.

Best regards
Marc

Not lighter. Fullers (when properly made) are a hammered in feature. The metal isn't going anywhere. You compress it in one place; It swells out in another. That swelling can actually be seen in this piece to great effect. Notice the angle change as soon as the fuller stops. There is as much metal before fullering as there is immediately after.

It's not that they would have had to use more metal if not fullering either to get the same effect. Again there's differential heat treatment and tempering. to be clear tempering is hardening and heat treatment is softening. One usually heat treats/anneals a blade to work it, then tempers to harden it back up when work is completely. The amount of flexibility is determined by the temperature at which it is cooled from and the rate of cooling.

Now differential tempering and heat treatment is when the blade smith mentally divides the blade into quadrants. They carefully control the handling of each quadrant so that the blade has different properties of flexibility vs. hardness throughout it. Two quadrants is the easiest degree to do this to. You can temper up the whole blade. Then bring the upper quadrant back down a bit to make it more flexible without effecting the lower quadrant.

You can achieve this without fullering. So you don't need to have more metal to start with if you don't fuller. But it's just easier to fuller. Because if you give one part of the blade a lot more surface area than another. Then these quadrants are more physical than just lines you draw in your head about where you want the properties to change. Because an area of metal with a lot more surface area than another is going to respond differently to the same amount of heat and quench applied uniformly.

Fullering before tempering if done right should make it so that differential tempering and heat treatment isn't necessary. But even if you do it differentially anyway the fullering makes that easier to do without messing up. Because you really only get one or two shots at it when factoring in metal fatigue. Push it much further and you'll get cracks. So it's important to get it right.

It can be hard to imagine if you haven't done it or seen it done up close. It looks like they took metal way to make those grooves. But they really didn't. The metal just got moved around.

[Marc M.]

Originally Posted by Lee

Just over two decades ago there was a brief window when tourism into Tuareg territory was not strongly discouraged and attempts to develop tourism were at their peak. This ended one night when ancient traditions were reawakened and two foreign parties were raided in the desert. I gave up my cash willingly at gunpoint and my passport, billfold with credit cards and clothes were courteously left with me. I think that night ended regional tourism hopes. Our tour limped back to Agadez where we had a few unplanned days. I went back to a local antique dealer (from whom I had acquired a few nice swords and lances) and he went over the naming of variations by fullers or curvature and wrote them on the back of a currency exchange slip. So, a five fullered blade, as above, is a takouba tamougass. Below is a scan of those notes.

Hi Lee

That must have been an exciting/scary experience a Touareg raid. They left the takuba at home and exchanged it for a firearm. Thanks for naming the different fullers.
Best regards
Marc