Very nicely done Blue!!! Thank you for the excellent comparisons, most helpful. I think, as Ibrahiim has noted, this is indeed most likely a later 19th century European sabre blade, probably an officers, and as we have agreed, pretty savagely ground and reprofiled.
The intact European sabre is most interesting, and indeed does have a Tuareg style scabbard, something I have honestly not seen used on an original European sword. This type of anomaly certainly does reinforce the profound availability of these European swords and blades throughout these regions.
I think that determining the direction of diffusion and influence of certain forms of weapons, in this case pertaining of course primarily to the hilt, is quite difficult. As we know, blades can come from many sources, but the hilt is typically a locally applied style in the region from which it is provenanced.
We have here a basic similarity in the cylindrical hilt style of the Manding sabre as well as the Omani kattara, which of course seems to have appeared around mid 18th century in Oman as Ibrahiim has well contended. While the kattara is of course typically known to carry the broadsword blades which were typically trade blades in the Red Sea sphere supplying the Sudan, it does seem that curved blades in the same circumstances afforded the appearance of sabre type versions.
Returning to the Saharan regions of West Africa where the Manding sabres prevail, we must consider if other guardless and cylindrical style hilts are found in surrounding regions and of such presence that they became the hilt form now well known. If there is evidence that cylindrical style hilts were present in surrounding regions, and prior to the mid 18th century date of origin of the Omani kattara hilt, then we have plausibility for the theory of African origin of this hilt style.
As trade and caravan routes are of course reciprocal, then the appearance of these cylindrical hilts on the Kenyan 'seme' swords could well have occurred via these routes in either direction.
It is known that a certain cylindrical style hilt, quite basic as seen on the Algerian knives shown in Blue Landers illustrations (often using cut down sabre blades in the same fashion as this posted Manding sabre) is known in regions of Sierra Leone. These often have kaskara type trade blades, but it seems that most are from well into the 19th century, so may be considered 'reflectively' influenced from the hilts of the Manding and trade blades carried on trans Saharan routes.
We may also consider that simple hilts, that is without guard system, are of course known in another expanse of the Saharan sphere, which is part of the Berber complex. That is in the Kabyle regions of Algeria and the sword is the flyssa . As far as has been determined, these intriguing hilts (the blades are almost invariably native) with stylized zoomorphic pommel, do not date much beyond early 19th century, so exceed any potential for influence.
It is worthy of note however, that the flyssa does have a characteristically sharply pointed tip, which the posted Manding sword seems to reflect in degree in its reprofiled tip. Again , these comparisons do not help us with seeking origins on the hilt style.
I would point out that Ottoman forces were present not only in North Africa but in Arabia. The Ottomans used for many centuries, men from Caucasian regions who not only were in the Janissaries but Mamluks in Egypt . Perhaps the weapons of these men, which of course included yataghans and shashkas, presented the idea of a simpler form of hilt? I think this would support the idea that these hilts might have developed in Arabia and transmitted westward via the trade venues.
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