It is always tempting and often compelling to attempt to explain unusual or even somewhat fanciful designs in ethnographic edged weapons blades, and as described by Christopher Spring in his "African Arms and Armour" the West typically has the need to find such explanations in these unusual ethnographic forms.
Much of this phenomenon has of course evolved from the countless 'exotic' weapons brought back from colonial campaigns and international expansion in recent centuries. It seems that many catalog descriptions seen through the years have developed an almost cliche' pattern of assigning terms such as 'executioners' or 'sacrificial' to many weapons with dramatically exaggerated features in the blade size or shape.
Examples of this can be seen in the often dramatic and almost fanciful blades on many African edged weapons; in the frightening choppers and arms brought out in volume after the Boxer Rebellion in China; and of course many other instances from many other cultures. Much of the romanticized and flowery descriptions in narratives and literature of Victorian times (which gave us fanciful terms like 'scimitar') also were often the foundation for 'collectors terms' with most of these evolving through transliteration and base misunderstanding by writers and perpetuated by thier readers.
In my perception, many ethnographic weapon and particularly blade forms derive from iconographic sources. Many of these are quite ancient and in friezes or sculptures such as described in India, and appear to be in many cases to have profoundly influenced many of these blade forms . These are typically depictive of intense mythological dramas in the heritage of the Hindu Faith, and may be of course considered interpretive in some degree , with these blade forms perhaps illustrated in accord with thier portrayal suitably emphasized in form.
In most cases it is considered that these are keenly accurate, however some of the more dramatic blade forms apparantly suggesting use in combat defy understanding of their actual practicality. Many of these forms said to have been used by the Nayar warriors have become the votive forms used in Temple rituals, and produced in accord with these early forms. The forward curves and dramatically shaped blades on these are votive and presumably used processionally, often with jingles and other apotropaic devices or motif added.
Unless we find evidence of one of these used in the actual Karma Kanda application in Vedic ritual, as we have with examples of the kora, kukri and ram dao in Bengal, Nepal regions, I feel this type weapon is distinctly representative of traditional Indian forms as described.
|