Sword ID

[Jim McDougall]

I strongly doubt the battlefield attribution to this weapon, especially in the mounts which are distinctly Manding work from Mali, as has already been noted. It should be recalled that Mali was an extremely important Saharan center in trade, and it seems to me that there are profound connections there with the trade from Eastern Africa. It seems that the guardless mounts of the Omani kattara, which also used broadsword blades from Europe as found on the kaskara, seem to compellingly suggest association to the hilt of the Manding sabre. Oman of course maintained a Sultanate in Zanzibar, whose trade not only confluenced with international powers, but entered the African mainland to trans-Saharan caravan routes.

I believe that Omani kattaras carrying their traditional broadsword blades could certainly have diffused to Mali, where the blade may have been remounted in local fashion. Most of the Manding swords of course, carry European sabre blades. It is interesting to note that Omani kattara are also known to be mounted with sabre blades.

Best regards,
Jim