Koummiya-ish

[kahnjar1]

Originally Posted by Battara

I wonder if one is tribal term (i.e. Berber) and the other Arabic.

....or is it another term generated by collectors to describe a particular item? Other examples are "Wahabite" for the long dagger found in Western Arabia, and "kattara" to refer to the straight Omani sword.
Stu

[RobT]

Hi All,

If you showed me a stockman folding knife, I would identify it as such but I would bet that if you showed the same knife to a good number of American born, fluent English speakers, the replies would most likely range from knife to pocket knife or folding knife or folder and jack knife. Some may even mis-identify it as a pen knife. You probably wouldn't hear any of them say stockman. All of the above responses are valid but stockman, although the least well known, is the most precise/least generic. The word koummiya goes back to at least the 19th century in France but it isn't a French word, so it is likely that the word was in common use at that time (if not before) among certain North African populations for a very specific dagger and the French just added the word to their own lexicon. Since the dagger is a formidable weapon, it is most probable that French colonial efforts included restrictions on the manufacture, sale, possession, and carry. This may very well have caused the word Koummiya to fall from common usage among the African populations while being retained in French. Today, koummiya (with many spellings) is known in at least France, Germany, and the English speaking world. It provides us with a widely held name/definition for a very specific type of knife. The word khanjar does not.

Sincerely,
RobT