The African Great Lakes and The Omani Empire.

Jim McDougall · 28th October 2021, 04:41 PM

I'm glad to see this topic brought forward Peter. We worked on compiling this material for a number of years, and it was surprising how much was completely unknown about these swords.
With Zanzibar being the 'X-factor' in the equation, and the efforts to further cloud the commerce in slaving, things were certainly pushed farther into darkness.

The fact that Burton, a remarkably detailed observer with specific acumen in swords and prolific writer on many subjects, noted these details in his narrative in 1859, places them in real time. His observations on the German blades in this context and in that time, associated with the Omani sa'if as typically carried in Zanzibar (Demmin, 1877; Burton, 1884) place these weapons in situ in these regions in 1859, so likely earlier as well.

The curved blade versions therefore were actually termed 'kitara' as discussed several years ago, with a colloquial nod toward these regions in Africa, while the long bladed broadswords familiar to modern collectors were known as 'kattara' loosely drawing from that term. Actually, as with many swords, such as kaskara, the native term was simply sa'if.

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28th October 2021, 04:41 PM	#17
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,192	I'm glad to see this topic brought forward Peter. We worked on compiling this material for a number of years, and it was surprising how much was completely unknown about these swords. With Zanzibar being the 'X-factor' in the equation, and the efforts to further cloud the commerce in slaving, things were certainly pushed farther into darkness. The fact that Burton, a remarkably detailed observer with specific acumen in swords and prolific writer on many subjects, noted these details in his narrative in 1859, places them in real time. His observations on the German blades in this context and in that time, associated with the Omani sa'if as typically carried in Zanzibar (Demmin, 1877; Burton, 1884) place these weapons in situ in these regions in 1859, so likely earlier as well. The curved blade versions therefore were actually termed 'kitara' as discussed several years ago, with a colloquial nod toward these regions in Africa, while the long bladed broadswords familiar to modern collectors were known as 'kattara' loosely drawing from that term. Actually, as with many swords, such as kaskara, the native term was simply sa'if.