What is a KARUD?!

[estcrh]

Originally Posted by mariusgmioc

It appears that what was originally a mistake, it has become to be accepted as it is. Wouldn't be neither the first, nor the biggest.

But why shall we continue propagating it? Why shouldn't we straighten things up?

Have a look at Ariel's message and have a nice weekend!

What makes it a mistake, no one is propagating anything, it is a commonly accepted description and it has been for as long as I can remember.

Anyone who wants to think of a single curved bladed dagger and a double curved dagger as being the same thing is free to do so, I and many others do not think they are the same and we place them in different categories.

[ariel]

Eric,
Perhaps I misunderstood the aim and the meaning of the above argument. So let me explain myself.

Sometimes it is appropriate and respectful to use the native term because it had meaning for the original owners: Janbia for the Yemeni Arabs because it was worn on the side, shibria for the Syrian-Palestinian Arabs because it was of a size of hand span, Laz Bichaq because it immediately terminated arguments about its ethnic roots etc. etc.


And if in some cases we need a special term for our own internal use, then the use of stenographic definitions like "Karud" instead of " Pesh Kabz with straight blade" is also fine with me , irrespective of its historic veracity. This is why for example I continue to use "pseudo-shashka" for some Central Asian long bladed weapons because it right away defines their appearance. Please believe me, I know they have nothing to do with Caucasian " Sesh Huo " or how else we transcribe it:-)

As long as we understand the difference between the two approaches and do not create "pretender" entities.

Classifications and names are created to give us common road posts, not to confuse us.
There was a Viennese philosophical school of semasiology: they maintained that most problems in the world stemmed from different meanings people had for the same phenomena. They might have been partially correct:-)

If other people disagree with me, I am fully open to changing my stance.

[estcrh]

Originally Posted by ariel

And if in some cases we need a special term for our own internal use, then the use of stenographic definitions like "Karud" instead of " Pesh Kabz with straight blade" is also fine with me , irrespective of its historic veracity. This is why for example I continue to use "pseudo-shashka" for some Central Asian long bladed weapons because it right away defines their appearance. Please believe me, I know they have nothing to do with Caucasian " Sesh Huo " or how else we transcribe it:-)

Ariel, your use of "pseudo-shashka" is a perfect example of "categorization" This is certainly not how the people who used these would have described them but for categorizion purposes it is a very good description. I will eventually have a "Pseudo-shashka" or "Shashka (pseudo)" Pinterest board, I will use your discription in order to inform people that while these are similar in appearance to Caucasian / Circassian shashka they are a completely separate type.

There seems to be here a lack of understanding about picking the best term to use for categorization as opposed to the most historically accurate term.

[ariel]

[QUOTE=estcrh]Ariel, your use of "pseudo-shashka" is a perfect example of "categorization" This is certainly not how the people who used these would have described them but for categorizion purposes it is a very good description. I will eventually have a "Pseudo-shashka" or "Shashka (pseudo)" Pinterest board, I will use your discription in order to inform people that while these are similar in appearance to Caucasian / Circassian shashka they are a completely separate type.
Y
There seems to be here a lack of understanding about picking the best term to use for categorization as opposed to the most historically accurate term.[/QUOT

Actually, this is not my invention: it belongs to Iaroslav Lebedinski.
He knew full well that it had nothing to do with real shashka, but used it as a stenographic term.

It is in a way like Karud: does not exist as such, but is awfully convenient for quick chat.

[Jim McDougall]

[QUOTE=ariel]

Originally Posted by estcrh

Ariel, your use of "pseudo-shashka" is a perfect example of "categorization" This is certainly not how the people who used these would have described them but for categorizion purposes it is a very good description. I will eventually have a "Pseudo-shashka" or "Shashka (pseudo)" Pinterest board, I will use your discription in order to inform people that while these are similar in appearance to Caucasian / Circassian shashka they are a completely separate type.
Y
There seems to be here a lack of understanding about picking the best term to use for categorization as opposed to the most historically accurate term.[/QUOT

Actually, this is not my invention: it belongs to Iaroslav Lebedinski.
He knew full well that it had nothing to do with real shashka, but used it as a stenographic term.

It is in a way like Karud: does not exist as such, but is awfully convenient for quick chat.

Ariel is quite right, and it was Lebedynsky who first coined and used the term ("Les Armes Traditionelles de l' Europe", Paris, 1996) and it seems it derived from difficulties determining whether 'shaska -like' sabres from Afghanistan or Uzbekistan were actually of the Caucasian group. As I recall, in trying to determine one of these cases around 15 years ago, it remained hard to say, even in discussion with Torben Flindt and Prof. Lebedynsky.
It seemed agreed that these were in fact NOT of the Caucasian group as with the 'Bukharen sabres'.
The use of the 'psuedo' addition as far as I have known was never used again in this parlance with shashkas, but Ariel recalls it just as I do from those research days of some time ago.

PS, I would very much disagree with Lebedynsky ' not knowing very much about shashkas etc.!! When I first communicated with him back in the early 90s it was in research on Cossack and Caucasian shashkas, on which he had written a book. He is a prolific author who has written an incredible number of books on these and many arms topics, often influenced by his Ukrainian ancestry and pronounced study on these arms. I recall research on the Zaporozhian Cossacks he assisted me with many years back.

Mahratt, of course the word 'shashka' is as I have understood, a Russian term for 'sword', and many stirrup hilted sabres of the Russian army are equally called shashka ("Russian Military Swords" 1801-1917" Eugene Mollo, 1969).
While these Afghan sabres have the cleft pommel and overall similarity TO the Caucasian forms, most authorities I believe generally hold them to be outside the 'shashka' and Caucasian scope.

[mahratt]

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

Mahratt, of course the word 'shashka' is as I have understood, a Russian term for 'sword', and many stirrup hilted sabres of the Russian army are equally called shashka ("Russian Military Swords" 1801-1917" Eugene Mollo, 1969).
While these Afghan sabres have the cleft pommel and overall similarity TO the Caucasian forms, most authorities I believe generally hold them to be outside the 'shashka' and Caucasian scope.

Dear Jim!

We're talking about "" Bukhara shashka". Why no one says it - "psevdoshashka"? She does not look like a Caucasian shashka.

Maybe I'm wrong to say (excuse me my bad English)
I meant that Lebedinsky knew little about the Afghan shashkas, which he called - "psevdoshashka".

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by mahratt

Dear Jim!

We're talking about "" Bukhara shashka". Why no one says it - "psevdoshashka"? She does not look like a Caucasian shashka.

Maybe I'm wrong to say (excuse me my bad English)
I meant that Lebedinsky knew little about the Afghan shashkas, which he called - "psevdoshashka".

Hi Mahratt,
I think that's what all the fuss was about. The Afghan and Uzbek were indeed 'different', and the Bukharen sabre with very different hilt was of course obviously not of the same category. While most of his work in those times focused on the Caucasian and Russian versions of shashka, he did indeed have excellent knowledge on the full spectrum of swords he included in his writings.
The thing was, in those times, these were remarkably esoteric weapons, and there was so much disagreement and debate on the proper classifications of these. It was in these times that Torben Flindt very sagely told me, 'weapons have no geographic boundaries' !
I think the use of the 'psuedo' appellation was borne out of those particular frustrations and disagreements and knowing that any designation was bound to be challenged.