Omani or East Africa?

ariel · 8th May 2006, 12:58 PM

Michael, we think alike!
I wanted to post it and to draw attention to the similarity between Manding (this one) handles and the Omani Kattara.
Oman was a major maritime power and had major influence in Africa during ~ 15-18th centuries and it is not out of question that there was a commonality in weapons. The one you got recently (broken handle, and I am not seething any more

) was an earlier variant of Kattara. Perhaps, Omanis picked up the African style for their "new and improved" model. Or, the newer variant existed in Oman for some time in parallel or as a later development and was adopted by the Africans.
No matter what, they do appear to share some common features.

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8th May 2006, 12:58 PM	#2
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	Michael, we think alike! I wanted to post it and to draw attention to the similarity between Manding (this one) handles and the Omani Kattara. Oman was a major maritime power and had major influence in Africa during ~ 15-18th centuries and it is not out of question that there was a commonality in weapons. The one you got recently (broken handle, and I am not seething any more ) was an earlier variant of Kattara. Perhaps, Omanis picked up the African style for their "new and improved" model. Or, the newer variant existed in Oman for some time in parallel or as a later development and was adopted by the Africans. No matter what, they do appear to share some common features.