The Manding sword, the Tuareg aljuinar and Omani curved kattara: Are they connected?

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by Ibrahiim al Balooshi

Earlier we had a series of maps appear outlining geographically the situation facing movement East or West and between Zanzibar and the Manding situation. Here is the linking map I was looking for with the vast Tippu Tip region based on The Falls Region..where he had 10,000 slaves and supported not only his own labour requirements at his herb farms on Zanzibar but also in co operation with the Omani Slavers and Ivory and Rhino traders welcomed in the Falls region and through the Zanzibar Hub worldwide.

Would this strategic position not be a stepping stone both ways from and to East and West African entrepots and or a trading centre rather like a small Hub in its own right?

I have always wondered just how slaving worked in that it was a predominate activity in the west (the 'Slave Coast') as well as far east, in Darfur and to the southeast in Zanzibar. While slaves were transported by ship out of the west and east, I am wondering just how much, if any, direct interaction between slaving factors in these regions there was.

While of course, an unpleasant topic, and seemingly outside the scope of this discussion, the reason I think there may be relevance is that these movements and possible contacts might account for some of the diffusion of these weapons. We have determined that the Hadj caravans often operated quite different routes and composition from those of traders, were there such caravans of slaves operating independently as well?

It has been noted that trade routes typically move north to south/vice versa, so is it possible that diagonals of other caravan routes intersected at varying points contributing to further diffusion of goods etc.?

It does seem that the complexity of caravan networks, realizing the varying contexts of their purposes, add to the conundrums of direction of movement in influences and types of weaponry. I think the best semblance we might have of consistency or indigenous origin of a form is the preponderance of the form in a given area.