View Single Post
Old 29th April 2011, 12:34 AM   #16
Edster
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 389
Default

Chris,

Yours are very intriguing and tough questions. I'm sure Iain and others have a greater depth of knowledge, but I'll try to draw from my limited perspective.

I think we have to consider that Sudan and Ethiopia have separate cultural and religious foundations and were mostly enenies. Trade in slaves and goods was fairly common across the border in the areas of decent rainfall near the Atbara River. Sudan was and is based on the Nile Valley and has influence from Arabia beginning in the 16th Century when Arabs came into the country to teach Islam. Ethiopia really started historically in the lowlands near Eritrea with Axum, etc and didn't reach the highlands until later. I think that both cultures were grounded in agriculture.

The Hadendawa who are the Kassala swordsmiths are part of the larger Beja, a separate ethnic group with a long history in the area from Kassala throught he Red Sea Hills and into the uplands to the East. The Beni Amr are related Beji peoples from mainly the lower lands of Eritrea. Both are pastoralists specializing in camels. The sword of Afar from the Afar Depression of Ethiopia and Eritrea is more like the shotal than the kaskara.

I think the traditional weapon of both Sudan and the Hadendawa were spears, but different styles.. I don't know when the Kaskara become the main battle weapon, but I'd guess around the time of the Mahdia in the 1840s. Others would know this better than me. I'd like to learn more about this history myself.

By tradition, apparently the Hadendawa become dedicated weapons makers at the request of Othman Digna, their war leader during the Mahdia. They apparently used Kaskaras then, but not exclusively. The 1939 version of the film Four Feathers shows some good scenes of authentic Hadendawa weapons.

The blacksmith market in Kassala was build in the 1940s by Italians from Ethiopia. The export of Kassala weapons to other regions apparently started in the 1960. The Hadendawa had a traditional double edged hooked knife/short sword called a soa'tal as I recall. I show a photograph on one with its belt on a post.

Bottom line. I think that the Beja "tribes" would have been more influenced by Ethiopian weaponry than the Arabized Sudanese who looked to the west and south down the Nile. Wouldn't be surprised if the Kaskara came to Sudan from the Fulani/ Nigeria since Sudan was the major pilgrimage route from West Africa to Arabia and not from the east.

Hope this doesn't confuse you further.
Take care,
Ed
Edster is offline   Reply With Quote