Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - Tri fullered Kaskara, Tabouka and Kattara help

Jim McDougall · 27th May 2011, 09:13 PM

Hi David,
The dispersement of these blades, most commonly known on kaskara, would be difficult to track as far as diffusion in the vast trade networks, and in my opinion must be viewed largely on case by case basis. Simply trying to determine origins and movement in the areas most known in the Sudan and Saharan regions is difficult at best.
Blades of triple fuller type are known as far as West African coastal regions such as Sierra Leone where kaskara style blades are in rondel type cylindrical hilts; as mentioned they occur in many kattara which may be from the Omani sultanate in Zanzibar but that remains debatable; and I have even seen them in Indian pata.

With the pronounced commercialism in Solingen, and that they were supplying blades to Abyssinia, India, Sudan, and of course many regulation blades nilitarily to many nations by the latter 19th century, it would be extremely hard to say on this example. Whether it is reprofiled or not is gard to say from photos.....if it is double edged than it may be a kaskara type blade...but as Iain notes, it does not seem readily so. Perhaps a prototype for potential export to Sumatran regions ?

All the best,
Jim

27th May 2011, 09:13 PM	#2
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,281	Hi David, The dispersement of these blades, most commonly known on kaskara, would be difficult to track as far as diffusion in the vast trade networks, and in my opinion must be viewed largely on case by case basis. Simply trying to determine origins and movement in the areas most known in the Sudan and Saharan regions is difficult at best. Blades of triple fuller type are known as far as West African coastal regions such as Sierra Leone where kaskara style blades are in rondel type cylindrical hilts; as mentioned they occur in many kattara which may be from the Omani sultanate in Zanzibar but that remains debatable; and I have even seen them in Indian pata. With the pronounced commercialism in Solingen, and that they were supplying blades to Abyssinia, India, Sudan, and of course many regulation blades nilitarily to many nations by the latter 19th century, it would be extremely hard to say on this example. Whether it is reprofiled or not is gard to say from photos.....if it is double edged than it may be a kaskara type blade...but as Iain notes, it does not seem readily so. Perhaps a prototype for potential export to Sumatran regions ? All the best, Jim Last edited by Jim McDougall; 27th May 2011 at 10:22 PM.