Kaskara, european (?) blade

Jim McDougall · 24th May 2016, 07:59 PM

Beautifully stated Ibrahiim!
You make a very good point, that jewellery and the decorative motif on arms, particularly in Africa, are very much connected. There is a magnificent book on African jewellery by Angela Fisher titled "Africa Adorned". The amazing photos of the various forms and symbols used in all manner of these adornments reveal remarkable similarities to motifs often used on weapons.
As you note, the complexities of tribal interaction and these vast trade networks are undoubtedly the conduit for most of the diffusion of so many influences between cultural spheres. That is one of the joys of ethnographic arms study, investigating how these have come together via the material culture and work of these artisans.

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24th May 2016, 07:59 PM	#8
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,192	Beautifully stated Ibrahiim! You make a very good point, that jewellery and the decorative motif on arms, particularly in Africa, are very much connected. There is a magnificent book on African jewellery by Angela Fisher titled "Africa Adorned". The amazing photos of the various forms and symbols used in all manner of these adornments reveal remarkable similarities to motifs often used on weapons. As you note, the complexities of tribal interaction and these vast trade networks are undoubtedly the conduit for most of the diffusion of so many influences between cultural spheres. That is one of the joys of ethnographic arms study, investigating how these have come together via the material culture and work of these artisans.