Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - Kaskara & Takouba "Enigmatic" Mark Revisited

Jim McDougall · 5th August 2022, 04:06 PM

Thanks Ed,
As you note, Briggs asserts (per Gaus '58) that the grouping of marks on the 'takouba' of the Tiounfara chief Adembar (XXb) are copied from those on the blade of the takouba of the chief Raidera in Air (XXa).

As also noted, in example (a) those markings are all stamped, thus are more clearly represented, particularly the 'bees' which seem to be more 'tentacled' figures, though Briggs suggests these may represent the German marks used by Kull and Weyersberg as well as Mumm (who termed it 'die puppe;, the doll).

Clearly the marks on (b) are engraved or scribed rather than stamped, which leads to the apparent 'license' of the native artist with the two 'bee' markings while the lion and cross and orb are fairly true to form.
This begs the question, why, if the stamped marks of lion and cross/orb are indeed copied............why the 'interpretation' of the other two?

As you note, in XX(a) and (b) the marking grouping are basically the same, four figures, and are indeed of Tuareg provenance on takouba's.

However, in the same plate, XX(c) is a blade with the same curious engraved figure(s) as seen on sword (b), which as you note is a takouba.
On p.84, Briggs describes the sword in (c) which belonged to Rabadine , a noble of the Kel Rela tribe of Ahaggar Tuareg. Here Briggs describes the blade of this sword (which is hilted as central type takouba, as he notes compares to his takouba example T2).
As seen in (c) the blade figures are clearly like those on (b) Adembars sword, which here Briggs notes these marks are unlike anything he has seen EXCEPT the 'bee' marks on the Adembar sword, and here he notes these engraved hatched marks appear to be placed over older European ones (?).

Here I would note T2 example Briggs refers to in comparing the blade of the (c)sword, is actually what seems perhaps a kaskara blade, as its length is over 35", far loo long for most takouba I have seen, but definitely concurs with kaskara.

So then, example (c) which has the enigmatic markings compared to those of (b), with both swords being takouba as far as the hilts they are mounted in.

On p.81, a confusing description of another example of this 'enigmatic' apparently engraved marking is illustrated by Morel ('43, p.152 'Planche XIV, and '48 p.233, fig. 1). who saw it in AHAGGAR on another sword which belonged to Mohamed bin Sheikh.
So here the implication of a third takouba with the enigma.

Thank you for the kind notes on my kaskara with the rather horned looking stamp. It was suggested that this sword may have had connections to the holdings of Ali Dinar in Darfur (d. 1914) and the references in Reed (1985) seem to support the Darfur note. However, with the rather optimistic suggestion to the Ali Dinar connection I remain skeptical despite the fact he likely had numerous swords. It has been suggested that the styling of these hilts was favored in this time, and these became the 'Kassala' form.

5th August 2022, 04:06 PM	#4
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 9,748	Thanks Ed, As you note, Briggs asserts (per Gaus '58) that the grouping of marks on the 'takouba' of the Tiounfara chief Adembar (XXb) are copied from those on the blade of the takouba of the chief Raidera in Air (XXa). As also noted, in example (a) those markings are all stamped, thus are more clearly represented, particularly the 'bees' which seem to be more 'tentacled' figures, though Briggs suggests these may represent the German marks used by Kull and Weyersberg as well as Mumm (who termed it 'die puppe;, the doll). Clearly the marks on (b) are engraved or scribed rather than stamped, which leads to the apparent 'license' of the native artist with the two 'bee' markings while the lion and cross and orb are fairly true to form. This begs the question, why, if the stamped marks of lion and cross/orb are indeed copied............why the 'interpretation' of the other two? As you note, in XX(a) and (b) the marking grouping are basically the same, four figures, and are indeed of Tuareg provenance on takouba's. However, in the same plate, XX(c) is a blade with the same curious engraved figure(s) as seen on sword (b), which as you note is a takouba. On p.84, Briggs describes the sword in (c) which belonged to Rabadine , a noble of the Kel Rela tribe of Ahaggar Tuareg. Here Briggs describes the blade of this sword (which is hilted as central type takouba, as he notes compares to his takouba example T2). As seen in (c) the blade figures are clearly like those on (b) Adembars sword, which here Briggs notes these marks are unlike anything he has seen EXCEPT the 'bee' marks on the Adembar sword, and here he notes these engraved hatched marks appear to be placed over older European ones (?). Here I would note T2 example Briggs refers to in comparing the blade of the (c)sword, is actually what seems perhaps a kaskara blade, as its length is over 35", far loo long for most takouba I have seen, but definitely concurs with kaskara. So then, example (c) which has the enigmatic markings compared to those of (b), with both swords being takouba as far as the hilts they are mounted in. On p.81, a confusing description of another example of this 'enigmatic' apparently engraved marking is illustrated by Morel ('43, p.152 'Planche XIV, and '48 p.233, fig. 1). who saw it in AHAGGAR on another sword which belonged to Mohamed bin Sheikh. So here the implication of a third takouba with the enigma. Thank you for the kind notes on my kaskara with the rather horned looking stamp. It was suggested that this sword may have had connections to the holdings of Ali Dinar in Darfur (d. 1914) and the references in Reed (1985) seem to support the Darfur note. However, with the rather optimistic suggestion to the Ali Dinar connection I remain skeptical despite the fact he likely had numerous swords. It has been suggested that the styling of these hilts was favored in this time, and these became the 'Kassala' form.