Interesting Spanish Canary Islands Punal

[Chris Evans]

Hi Hotspur,

Great post!

The nomenclature associated with gaucho knives will be contentious for ever. The problem is that both the words `gaucho' and `facon' changed constantly from the time they were first used. Worse still, is that we know very little of the halcyon days of the real gauchos, those that lived on the Pampas before 1800. What passes for gaucho history these days pertains to the rapidly changing 19th century Pampas due to commercial cattle grazing, immigration and the mythologization of agricultural workers, in keeping with nationalistic and romantic trends of the mid to late 1800s.

`Gaucho' went from a malingering vagabond, who lived off wild cattle, to a mounted farm labourer and then onto the embodiment of national virtue. And the `facon' from an oversize knife primarily used to hunt and slaughter wild cattle to a weapon (when the wild cattle disappeared) and then a national icon symbolizing masculinity and the warrior spirit. In popular parlance to this day, any reasonably sized knife worn at the small of the back by an Argentinean horseman (gaucho?) is a facon, though my the mid 19th century a facon was seen as a weapon and the `cuchillo' (knife) as a tool. Here, it is worth remembering that `facon' literally means large knife, even though by popular convention it acquired other nuances and meanings. It is also worth remembering that the wild cattle of the Pampas was in severe decline by the early 19th century and with it the life style of the original gauchos - What cattle was left, was fiercely competed for by the rapidly increasing native Indian population; So the gaucho was compelled to become a mounted hired hand, or a soldier for a local warlord and later, the national army.

Collectors and edged weapon historians needed something more precise than and hence the more definitive names associated with gaucho blade ware used nowadays. For unambiguous discussions it is better to stick to the terms favoured by Osornio and later Domenech.

Re Swordforums: That was an interesting thread and Leonardo made many valid points. Unfortunately, English is not his first language and he had difficulty in articulating himself against hostile interlocutors who greatly misunderstood him.

This is now drifting OT, and perhaps we ought to start a new thread on gaucho knives and Pampean culture, if one is needed. I was merely enlarging on Gonzalo's excellent post regarding blade terminology is Spanish (Castillian!) and mentioned facons etc by way of examples.

Cheers
Chris
PS please post a picture of the brand on you knife and perhaps we can help to identify its origins.

[Hotspur]

Here is a picture that appears on the clasp of these. Just A&E Co. over the twisted/knotted bugle. As mentioned, I have come across quite similar ones. The blade is also labeled INOX, so we can presume they are not earlier than the beginning of the 20th century.

Cheers

[Chris Evans]

Hi Hotspur,

Assuming that the `inox' blade was originally fitted to the furniture, than I doubt if that knife pre-dates the 1960s, but am not entirely sure.

My reference books only address earlier, locally mounted ware.

Up to WWII, trade blades were imported and locally mounted - Then, due to the shortage created by the hostilities, blade manufacturing commenced in Argentina at Tandil in the early 1940s, but as far as I know, was restricted to carbon steel, though this could have changed in later times. As well, that knife could have been made elsewhere, say Brazil, or any other part of the world on special order placed by an importer. Even in the early days, complete knives were made in Europe, in that style, for the Sth American market.

If nobody can improve on my unsatisfactory answer, then perhaps you could put it to Bernard Levine on another forum, who is very well versed in brands and manufacturers.

As a matter of interest, what is the furniture made from? German silver, AKA nickel silver, AKA Alpaca?

Cheers
Chris