Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

tom hyle · 28th February 2005, 09:13 AM

That's what we call a nimcha in N America, anyway, Greece, too? I hear it's called a saif (sayf) in Arabia and Africa. Saif, or "sword" seems to be the term for a long sword, while I am told that nimcha actually means something about short or small, so the threadstarting type may actually have a better claim to the name....confusing and irrelevant enough? What I've meant to mention about these is that their wearing at formal occasions, as well as their shape (highly curved, thinnish wedge-section blades with fine cutting edges) are suggestive of butchery; typically Berbers feast on freshly slaughtered meat.
There was an interesting varient on ebay recently; I'll see if I still have the number.
I do, and it's like a cross with a flyssa; #6512009521

28th February 2005, 09:13 AM	#6
tom hyle Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Houston, TX, USA Posts: 1,254	That's what we call a nimcha in N America, anyway, Greece, too? I hear it's called a saif (sayf) in Arabia and Africa. Saif, or "sword" seems to be the term for a long sword, while I am told that nimcha actually means something about short or small, so the threadstarting type may actually have a better claim to the name....confusing and irrelevant enough? What I've meant to mention about these is that their wearing at formal occasions, as well as their shape (highly curved, thinnish wedge-section blades with fine cutting edges) are suggestive of butchery; typically Berbers feast on freshly slaughtered meat. There was an interesting varient on ebay recently; I'll see if I still have the number. I do, and it's like a cross with a flyssa; #6512009521 Last edited by tom hyle; 28th February 2005 at 09:26 AM.