Two West African swords/cutlasses for I.D.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Reference;
A. See http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/acko/hd_acko.htm

The Cross Part 4

Substantial evidence exists to support the agreed Christianity Conversion in West Africa...Reference A states that Quote"Missionary documents from the seventeenth century claimed that they had found a people who believed in a single god but did not know his name."Unquote. and clearly the Cross on Swords in the region comes from that situation. This process took an opposite view to the way the Spanish did it by force compelling them to convert in South America and the Portuguese suggested that the West Africans had already found God but simply had not realized it. All they actually needed to do was convince them that this was what they already believed in ...an entirely different approach and one which was highly successful...

What I have trouble with is the time line... Notwithstanding the discussion I admire very much the picture below of the Church being constructed in the early period of Portuguese presence in West Africa which I think is about 1491 although I cannot be certain.This is from #165 on http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...1&page=6&pp=30

Please note the two chieftains at right with swords at the waist in typical West African machete style and consider the hilts in this finely engraved picture which so far as I can see is very accurate. Observe the Lion or big cat hilts.

Sri Lanka, however,was not discovered until 1505 by the Portuguese thus this hilt form must be local by definition. I add that big cats lived in the region of course... and that the regal and powerful symbol of the chieftains was seen as enhanced with hilts of this nature. Top class carvers were common in the African region and multiple group carved examples of a highly complex nature were in fact highly prized trade items for the Europeans even before the advent there of slavery.

The cross insignia was dominant across the spectrum and it is acknowledged that crosses on swords and crucifixes were worn by chiefs deliberating on tribal matters..Ivory carvings were made of Portuguese soldiers (in the traditional African style) adorned with Crosses.

Below the famous scene of the Church being built and another cross decorated weapon from the region is shown for interest.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Other finely carved Ivory items from West African Artisans~The figure with the spear also wearing a Cross. This proves the expertise in Ivory carving in Dahomey thus in addition no reason to seek lion heads from elsewhere particularly a foreign unknown species and style from Ceylon.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

In considering the big cats... and which one... since all could be admired ...It is certain that the Lion is the fore runner in this regard. The Great King Ghezo was succeeded by King Glele who reigned from 1858 until 1889; He revered the lion as seen in the weapons of war and authority below.. and illustrating how the lion was further incorporated into weapons design...enhancing its known appearance on hilts.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Well which was it? Lions or Leopards....This reference indicates a strong preference for Leopards...

http://www.beprimitive.com/stories-d...-royal-leopard

On the other hand ...The lion was the personal symbol of King Glele, ruler of Dahomey (now the Republic of Benin) who reigned from 1858 to 1889. It was also used in a variety of objects to link relatives and would-be allies to the royal power.

Below two masks One Leopard the other Lion.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Reference;
A. http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/316442

As an example of superb carving skill I point to a salt cellar pictured below with the provenance from Reference A above as;

Quote" This saltcellar is both an extraordinary example of skilled workmanship and an artifact that epitomizes a singularly important convergence of cultures. In the second half of the fifteenth century, Portuguese explorers and traders were impressed by the considerable talent of ivory carvers along the coast of West Africa. As a result, they were inspired to commission works of this kind for their patrons, which ingeniously combine both European and African aesthetics and forms. During this period, salt and pepper were costly commodities and elaborate receptacles were appropriate for their storage in princely homes.

This work contains imagery relating to indigenous Sapi belief systems. The four snakes, associated with mystical wealth, appear to confront four growling dogs. According to regional traditions, dogs are considered spiritually astute animals able to see spirits and ghosts that are invisible to humans. This depiction of the dogs, with teeth bared, hair bristling, and ears laid back, may relate to that ability. However, the level of animation in this scene could also derive from chivalric hunting scenes in European woodcuts, which were furnished to local African artists by their European patrons."Unquote.

I show another salt cellar base of similar provenance and add that Ivory carvings whether animal or other figures were the domain of in country artisans of which in the region there were about 40 workshops... and that clearly the expertise was to hand rather than sending off to the Indian Ocean regions to have hilts made...gifted or otherwise as has been tentatively suggested ...

I conclude that in the case of big cats and it seems clear that their were two;... Leopard and Lion ...which by nature needed to be the West African form not Sri Lankan; The style was local... Big cats lived there in the wild and when weapons were adorned; hilted or on the blades they had to be of the proper form. With such excellent craftsmen to hand locally it follows that they would be commissioned to carve the Ivory hilts for the Kings.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[Jim McDougall]

Remarkable similarity in these two swords in the blade root configuration and the pronounced mid rib at that segment of the blade.
While the blade tip is somewhat different, it is still the flared falchion type.

Picture 2:
The 'Benin' sword from Daehnhardt described as 15th-16th c. and with zoomorphic presumed a lion with Sinhalese character and equilateral cross device at blade near tip.

Picture 1:
The other example * with similar profile heavy falchion blade with gold lion device in place of cross, and hilt of character of dual rondel type in brass seen in other West African contexts (i.e. Mende).
This probably from King Glele (1858-1898).

* reference or source not cited

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Salaams Jim, Well noted on the blade rib...Post 6 has a similar blade . Here are bronze Leopards ...casting was another great skill..and another blade picture;

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

More Examples of Benin and close by regional swords...

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

Picture 2:
The 'Benin' sword from Daehnhardt described as 15th-16th c. and with zoomorphic presumed a lion with Sinhalese character and equilateral cross device at blade near tip...

Dear Jim,
Once you find it sine qua non the uploading of the already viral Benin or, should we say, Daehnhardt's sword, let me try and apply a couple (vital) touch ups.
Firstly, the image has indeed been scanned from Daehnhartd's book and (at the time) his collection; however the translation of the description is mine. With three years of age, and potentially passive of more accurate scholar wording and definitelly not bearing the book author agreement, i would decline its interpretation beyond that of an uncompromised context, as not being a test to what it is currently been through, an evident battle horse, so to say.
I have already reviewed and edited the text translation in my original post, hoping some improvement has been achieved, particularly:The cross is in brass and embedded on the blade, and not a perforation work, contrary to what i, for one, thought.
Then we have a case of gender; influence (influencia) is feminine, as brought (trazida) is equally feminine. Therefore it is not the grip (punho)masculine that would have been brought from Cingalese armoury but only its (construction) influence.
I would also add that any thoughts that the zoomorphic figure in the pommel, when being a lion, has to be of African nature, one may notice that such beast 'Panthera leo sinhaleyus' is a sign of bravery for the Sinhalese and eventually chosen to be the main symbol of their flag.
Concerning the past existence of the (aledgely) christian cross in pharaonic tombs, i would say Daehnhardt is no fool, as there is no smoke without fire.
So far one spot detected with both this and the Ankh cross is in a graphiti in the necropolis of el Bagawat, a funeral site used by early Egiptians and later by Coptas. I am ware these are not Pharaonic tombs but, here between us, this is the side towards which i sleep better .


.

[Jim McDougall]

Hi Fernando,
Thank you for your added attention to the dilemma of the 'Benin' sword, which I know some may feel a bit overplayed. However, as I had noted, it stands as a curious anomaly in the scheme of variations of these West African swords, and this one reflecting Sinhalese influence.

I think it is important to realize that our efforts to discover more on the proper classification, age and provenance of this interesting example are purely speculative, as are our evaluations of its elements. It is of course the same with those of Mr. Daehnhardt, who is of course no fool in his estimations, much as we are not. We all just do the best we can with what evidence we have, at least until new material or perspective is found.

My comparison of these two swords, the 'Benin' which was noted from 15th-16th c. and the example from 19th c. and presumably from the King Glele period as the brass lion was a leitmotif of his rule....was to note the remarkable similarity in the blade character of them.

Also that as pointed out, in the Benin example the cross is applied in brass (also seen on the axe pictured) just as the lion on the Glele sword of 19th c.

Could this have been a heirloom blade or regalia piece refitted with a 'lion' type hilt in the 19th c. with its form recalling 'influence' of Sinhalese type hilts and surely Indian or other Asian zoomorphic styles probably at least known in the colonial activity of those times? Art is what it is, interpretive, and it is hard to use such character to assign classification reliably when influences are so thoroughly diffused between different spheres.

The cross as a device on blades clearly may have derived from any number of sources which came from Christian contact despite its well established symbolism in tribal or folk religions not only in West Africa, but across the Sahara. The equilateral cross and variations are well known in tribal contexts typically as representing the four cardinal directions.
The ankh and its variants are of course known more to the east, and the Christian examples (crux ansata) of Coptic character are an interesting suggestion, but it seems a bit distant for consideration.
The mention of the 'cross' in Pharaonic tombs is of course not relevant except as an interesting note or curiosity.