Blade origin of Manding sword?

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

Actually the blades on these Manding sabres that I have seen often have military sabre blades, typically from French cavalry sabres which of course were prevalent in these regions . These typically came of course from French occupied areas and were often Solingen made, the name Holler on many of them . These blades often became mounted in the Tuareg curved form of the takouba termed the 'aljuinar' (as per data from Lee Jones).
I have even seen English blades by MOLE in these.

The blade has a cross section with the fuller in a depression termed 'hollow ground', characteristic of these 19th century military swords and not as far as I have known, ever produced in the more basic blade production of native artisans. While this one is heavily ground down so markings etc are gone, this hollow ground fuller is still visible. While native armourers are known to have been remarkably skilled at forging and fashioning quality blades, they did not have the industrial equipment to produce these hollow ground blades.

It would of course be hard to say exactly how this guardless hilt sabre form developed but since the Manding were primary factors of the trade routes and entrepots in Timbouctou and others they would have had considerable exposure to incoming influences. Since much of this trade was networked from as far as Zanzibar which was of course the key entrepot of the Omani Sultanate.It has long been my personal opinion that the cylindrical hilt well known with Omani merchants and their 'kattaras' may have travelled on these routes through the African interior, trans-Sahara and into Mali.
While the distinct cylindrical type hilts developed in Muscat and in the case of available trade sabre blades became the curved version of these swords, perhaps the Manding version of these came from these, with the instance f using such trade or otherwise acquired European sabre blades.

Years ago the compelling connections between the curious baselard like weapon with 'H' shape hilt termed the 'Zanzibar' sword by Demmin (1877) via Burton (1884) and corrected by Buttin (1933) ...and the Moroccan sboula were shown. Clearly these weapons were one in the same and connected via these same trade routes and entrepots.

I have personally considered many African edged weapons to be 'reflective' of many outside influences, and becoming the now distinctive forms often regarded as indigenous to their respective regions.

Salaams Jim..et al ...This has to be one of the most important threads viz-a-viz influence in and around Manding and Omani sword forms. Did the Manding influence the Omani Kattara? ( the curved slave captains / merchant sword) We know the hilt from that was copied onto the invented straight Omani Dancing Sayf in or just after 1744 when it became the heraldic and pageant sword in praise of the Sultan;The Busaidi Dynastic Sword.
The hilt may be described as a long flattened connical hilt often accompanied with a counterbalacing pommel. A view of the slave trade would possibly help members appreciate the scope for influence in this regard..thus see below.

Please note forums "Kattara for Comments" thread which has copious notes and diagrams / maps of the infamous Omani slave trader Tipputip pictured here, who essentially controlled the major part of internal Africa for slavery (he personally owned 10,000 slaves)...the main exit and collecting point being Zanzibar and the entire Zanj region of Africa. See http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ttara+comments

There is a very good exchange of ideas touching the subject at http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...light=mendinka

See also #5 on http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...=omani+kattara

In conclusion, it would seem obvious that any influence from one regional sword to another would have flowed along the same lines as the trade /slavery routes. It seems to me that the actual fusion of ideas on Omani hilts was in distinct phases... Firstly from slaver sword style to Kattara: West to Central Africa. Then Central Africa to East Africa and Zanj/Zanzibar. The simple final step being from Kattara to the newly invented Omani Dancing Sayf in about 1744.

The Manding being central to the theme.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.