Geographical Index
  links to other sites     joint collaborative projects hosted here    content original to this site

Africa	AfricanWeapons.com Web exhibition including throwing knives, axes, daggers and swords of unique indigenous design
	kaskara Kaskara - Broadswords of Sudanic Africa
	takouba Takouba - Swords of the Saharan Tuareg
	koummya Koummya - Moroccan Daggers
Asia	keris - daggers of the Malay cultures: Paul's Keris Page Malay World Edged Weapons by Dominique Buttin
	Edged Weapons of the Philippine Islands Plates from Krieger's ...Weapons and Armor of the Philippine Islands... (1926) Hinalung & Pinahig: Weapon -Tools of the Igorot Federico's Moro Swords
	nihonto - swords of old Japan: The Japanese Sword by Richard Stein (mirror)
	tsuba - sword guards of Japan Art of the Japanese Sword: Tsuba by Jim Gilbert
	Baiwan knives from Formosa Knives of the Taiwan Aborigines by Sherrod V. Anderson & Philip Tom
	kiem & dao - Vietnamese swords The Swords of Vietnam by Scott Rodell
	dha - Burmese and Southeast Asian Mainland Swords The Dha Research Index by Mark Bowditch
	daos - from the eastern Himalayan foothills Sword-daos of the Naga and Kachin Daos of the Hill Tribes of Assam and Nagaland
	ke tri - swords from the Himalayas Tibetan Swords
	shamshir - Traditional Sabers of Islam Shamshir: Sabers of Persia , Mughal India and the Arab World
	jambiya, kard, katar, khanjar & pesh kabz Islamic Daggers
	piha kaetta - knives from Sri Lanka (Ceylon) Pihakaetta.com: A Resource and Information Site
Europe	swords of Europe 500 - 1450 AD Mediaeval Sword Resource Site
	Eastern Influences on Polish Arms (pdf) by Michal Dziewulski (presentation at the 2007 Timonium Ethnographic Arms Seminar)
	rapiers of the 16th and 17th Centuries Rapiers,  part of fencing, by William Wilson
	Later European swords European Swords by Jean Binck
North America	espada ancha - swords of Spanish Colonial North America Espada Ancha - Swords of Mexico and Spanish Colonial America
South America	cuchillo gaucho - knife of the South American Pampas Knives of the Gaucho

Related Features
  links to other sites     hosted here    content original to this site

Blade Patterns Intrinsic to Steel Edged Weapons, a brief illustrated discussion of patterns visible upon the surfaces of blades which arise from the materials used and techniques employed, some for structure, others for decoration.

Ethnographic Edged Weapons Forum, consisting of a bulletin board where you may post queries of other readers as well as share your own insights by responding to the queries posted by other readers.

Notes on the Development of the Machete by Carter Rila. More an enlarged knife than a sword and intended for agricultural work and trailblazing, the machete is truly a product of the Industrial Revolution, and is the modern successor to many of the now obsolete traditional local forms of edged weapons.

Origin of the Keris and Its Development to the 14th Century by A. G. Maisey. The development of the keris is considered in detail from the 8th century based upon dateable temple monuments in central and eastern Java.

A Brief Collector's Guide

What is an ethnographic edged weapon?

For the purposes of this site, an ethnographic edged weapon is a weapon other than the standardized military models of the past few centuries and is likely a product of an individual artisan working according to traditional patterns as opposed to a product of modern mass industrial production. Militaria is thereby excluded by definition. Modern custom knives would qualify as an artifact of our own "culture", but will not be considered here, as they are better represented elsewhere.

Is it authentic?

For the purposes of this site, an authentic ethnographic edged weapon is one produced of traditional materials in a traditional style of the culture producing it, intended for wearing and use within that culture. In this context, it should be remembered that styles and materials of choice naturally and legitimately evolve. Crude examples of tourist grade made to be sold cheaply to non discerning and unknowledgeable customers and the presently proliferating range of semi-industrially made edged weapons of ethnic styles entirely unrelated to the source of manufacture (encompassing most of what you will see offered commercially on the web!) are best avoided except, perhaps, as inexpensive souvenirs or wall hangers, respectively. Earlier and better grades of work intended for sale to tourists and modern bladesmith's creations in archaic and exotic styles are often more difficult to discern, and even when recognized as such, may remain very desirable in their own right.

Finding ethnographic edged weapons

With only a few exceptions, such as Japanese swords, ethnographic edged weapons remained extremely cheap and plentiful up until the last decade or so (prices for Japanese swords having risen dramatically two to three decades ago). Fine examples brought home to colonizing countries as trophies of war or of more peaceful economic conquest and the purchases of early and discerning tourists (then infected with the Victorian era vogue for collecting) continue to find their way through attics and closets to small general antique dealers and often may still be had for relatively reasonable prices. Though they are usually no longer the bargains they were even a decade ago, the prices of these items today will almost certainly seem very cheap in a few decades. Even near home in Europe or America, ordinary gun shows, arms fairs, militaria dealers and general antique stores are all fertile ground for the hunt. On-line auctions and classified ads may still provide bargains. Better examples may also be found in minor auctions as well as lumped together in group lots in the major auctions. The best examples will turn up at both specialty dealers and in the major auctions, and are likely to cost full retail price in these venues. Examples obviously remain in their respective countries of origin, but ironically, especially for antiques, may be harder to locate as well as more expensive and, additionally, may now be subject to export restrictions.

Links to potential commercial sources on the Web

Copyright © 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2007 by Lee A. Jones