Mixed up sword
 

Here is a wild mix. It has the pommel and grip of a Takouba, the cross guard of a Shamshir and the blade of a Kaskara. This photo is from the American Museum of Natural History website as Ethiopian.

To me the blade looks like it tampers towards the tip, so I think it might actually be froma a takouba. The scabbard is also from a touareg origin.

To me it also looks "Takouba-ish". Perhaps, this sword is not as mixed-up as it appears: just a Takouba whose owner swapped the original crossguard for a more fancy Ottoman one.

Michael, nothing surprises me when it come to Ethiopian swords. Yes, it's a bit of a Frankestein's creation, but it could very well be from Ethiopia. Maybe Sudanese border from one of the nomadic tribes. Having said that, how do you get to AMNH's site and how do you research Ethiopian stuff? I have tried without much success. Cheers, RON

Ron, As I recall, I googled into the AMNH site and found this photo. I don't recall a front door to the pictures.

Sorry,

Mike

I agree with Roanoa, the elements of this sword are takouba with the exception of the Ottoman crossguard, which is decidedly misplaced. The key for such anomolies would be the trade routes that traversed Ethiopian regions to and from the Saharan caravans. This has been discussed of course quite a bit over the years, especially during the 'Zanzibar sword' research. In that case the 'Zanzibar' sword shown in Burton was revealed to actually be a Moroccan form known there as s'boula. What was quite confounding in trying to establish the origins of the weapon here was that in limited instance, examples of these occurred in some Ethiopian armouries. In one obscure monograph on African weapons (cannot recall the title...perhaps Roanoa can..it was about 1956)...one of these is shown along with shotels. It seems that weapons from the far western African regions, even as far as the Maghreb found thier way eastward on the routes, through Ethiopian regions and to the bustling trade center of Zanzibar. The Zanzibar connection also explains in degree certain Omani influences that also occur in weapons as far as Morocco and Mali.

It does seem curious to see a takouba turn up in Ethiopia though. It has always seemed that these, as well as flyssas have somehow resisted the diffusion into the eastern African regions, while they of course are found in expanded regions to the west. The 'kaskara' meanwhile is known not only in Ethiopia, but in Eritrea due to the nomadic movements of Sudanese tribes such as Beja and Hadendoa.

Thank you Michael for posting this most interesting weapon!

All best regards,
Jim

Hi Ron....do you mean this site :)

http://anthro.amnh.org/javascript/pub_coll.htm

Having said that, how do you get to AMNH's site and how do you research Ethiopian stuff? I have tried without much success. Cheers, RON[/QUOTE]




Hey Ron!
I think you could probably tell them things about Ethiopian stuff!!:)

Michael, thanks again for posting this unusual piece, I enjoyed it!

All the best,
Jim

Thanks, Katana. Got into the site and was left speechless when I saw the shields.... But the swords..... Very disappointing. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction, anyways. Cheers, RON