[fennec]

You're welcome Yuri, it's a real pleasure for me to share those few knowledges, and cant wait to share with you my book, and know your reactions of all here, about many discovering/suppositions I've made on algerian weapons.

You're absolutely right about the last model. You can even find similarities with other knifes for bousaada area, not only the one known as "khodmi" (the one with a metal lace on the handle) but more like the "saharian mouss/khodmi", the one that E.Claude call the "couteau Ã* lame triangulaire". The berber engravings are very close. May be an ancestor of the classic inlay on a flissa, or just another kind of deco.

About flissa, I'm still struggling to find some responses, as for exemple the exact way of use, etc. I've been "forced" (but with pleasure) to forge two, with fully ancient skills and tools (also made by the ancient way.. no power tools at all etc..). And I'm actually starting again on boarding nimcha. Trying to confirm many things, as those "differential quenching" for exemple, and the way it could be made and such saber shape, with only a charcoil forge and water... so .. yeah, still a long road I guess, but passioning !

Oh yeah, "Blaise Jean François Édouard Lapène"... haha... what an exemple. This guy had been "Commandant supérieur de Bougie (Algérie). - Lieutenant-colonel (1839), puis colonel (1843)", at the very first era of colonisation. He even took part on one of the most brutal fight, in Kabylie (Bougie/Bejaia). So yeah, obviously, his writtings where massivly influenced by his position, the idea of the "good" of his entreprise (colonisation), algerian as ennemies, not to say racism, etc....
But even without going so far, many "simple" ethnologist or historian, artists, or adventurer, had sometimes made big missunderstood, just because cultural habits, or views on africa.
My better exemple is for the shapes/scheme applied on decorations. We/I found much more "logic" meanings on local cultures, than in many books. For ex Ive one read that the cross shape of tuareg knives could be from a christian influence. Wich is absolutely impossible. Then we look to the "agadez cross", analyze the importance of the sky, stars and cardinal points for those nomadic people, and everything becomes logic.
Another ex is that hole on the bousaadi khodmi. Many occidentals thinks that is to add a "dragonne", to keep the knife in hand. And it seem logic for us (actually, Im also european haha), because of how many tools and weapons having that in our coutries.. BUT, in algeria, this hole si made to keep the knife IN the scabbard, wich generally have a leather lace to pass in it. Regarding the area where those knives are used (mountains, deserts etc), and where a guy had to climb, jump, get on and off his horse, that seem evident.
But however, even if I'm algerian, we have to remember that all those theories (some of them..) are still uncertain, due to the absolute lack of info on them, and I still learn things every week. Thats why I think that all my affirmations, or even from any "specialist", had to be taken with many precautions.
For exemple, a nimcha that I think was algerian in my book, was actually Tunisian, by a very small detail that changed all my view on this subject, and forced me to change many parts Ive already written. A reason why this book is like a curse for me now haha...

Well, thanks again for that exchange and encouragement !! Now back to work, so sorry if Im away for some weeks !!

Amically,
Khaled