Another Mandara short sword

Martin Lubojacky · 21st January 2012, 09:37 PM

Congratulations Iain ! This one is really good...

Iain · 21st January 2012, 10:35 PM

Thanks Martin! The photos hide the worst parts I think, there really are some twists in the blade side to side. So it is only good to look at it in profile like in the photos.

But it is a little bit rare and for something old I should not complain, I think it had a hard life and I am happy to give it a good retirement.

TVV · 22nd January 2012, 07:07 AM

Iain, very interesting sword, thanks for sharing. If this is the sword from the German on-line auction, really glad it went to you. Per the Wente-Lukas scans that you have posted before, would this make this sword Chamba?
regards,
Teodor

Iain · 23rd January 2012, 11:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TVV

Iain, very interesting sword, thanks for sharing. If this is the sword from the German on-line auction, really glad it went to you. Per the Wente-Lukas scans that you have posted before, would this make this sword Chamba?
regards,
Teodor

Hi Teodor,

Apologies for not responding earlier, somehow missed your post! Yes, it was from Germany, didn't realize many folks here knew about that particular resource.

I think it's very tough to say on pieces like this from the few scans I have at hand what the ethnicity is. I think there is similarity with the Chamba sword I have, but the blade form is entirely different. Some of these ethnic groups are very, very small and the amount of cross influence must have been large. The variety of forms coming out of the region always surprises me and in that sense, even the researchers who documented what they could, might easily have missed many sub variations.

All the best,

Iain

TVV · 24th January 2012, 12:51 AM

Iain, thank you for the answer on the tribal attribution of this really nice piece. I guess, referring to these swords as Mandara, despite their diversity, is the safest way to approach this for now. I wonder if any of these forms were also popular with the armies of Adamawa, or if these were confined to the non-Muslim groups resisting the conquest attempts of the latter.
Regards,
Teodor

Iain · 24th January 2012, 09:22 AM

Hi Teodor,

These should have more or less be used by non Islamic groups. The takouba seems to have started to seen more use in Mandara after the Fulani launched several incursions in the early 1800s and the region became somewhat more Islamic with a couple small emirates in place.

In emirates like Adamawa you probably would have found irregulars with a variety of weapon forms.

There were very few standing troops usually and village/town rulers were responsible for providing levies. Up until the Fulani Jihads, it is probably fair to say most of these areas were nominally Muslim but even the ruling class were not particularly strict. While household troops, like the heavily armoured cavalry, were usually also the bodyguards of the emir, the majority of troops were on foot and would supply some of their own equipment.

Still, so far it has seemed to me, in my admittedly cursory attempts to research these areas, that the takouba fairly quickly supplanted native sword forms.

Cheers,

Iain

21st January 2012, 10:35 PM	#2
Iain Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Olomouc Posts: 1,717	Thanks Martin! The photos hide the worst parts I think, there really are some twists in the blade side to side. So it is only good to look at it in profile like in the photos. But it is a little bit rare and for something old I should not complain, I think it had a hard life and I am happy to give it a good retirement. Last edited by Iain; 21st January 2012 at 10:51 PM.

21st January 2012, 09:37 PM	#1
Martin Lubojacky Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Czech Republic Posts: 843	Congratulations Iain ! This one is really good...

22nd January 2012, 07:07 AM	#3
TVV Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Bay Area Posts: 1,664	Iain, very interesting sword, thanks for sharing. If this is the sword from the German on-line auction, really glad it went to you. Per the Wente-Lukas scans that you have posted before, would this make this sword Chamba? regards, Teodor

24th January 2012, 12:51 AM	#5
TVV Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Bay Area Posts: 1,664	Iain, thank you for the answer on the tribal attribution of this really nice piece. I guess, referring to these swords as Mandara, despite their diversity, is the safest way to approach this for now. I wonder if any of these forms were also popular with the armies of Adamawa, or if these were confined to the non-Muslim groups resisting the conquest attempts of the latter. Regards, Teodor

24th January 2012, 09:22 AM	#6
Iain Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Olomouc Posts: 1,717	Hi Teodor, These should have more or less be used by non Islamic groups. The takouba seems to have started to seen more use in Mandara after the Fulani launched several incursions in the early 1800s and the region became somewhat more Islamic with a couple small emirates in place. In emirates like Adamawa you probably would have found irregulars with a variety of weapon forms. There were very few standing troops usually and village/town rulers were responsible for providing levies. Up until the Fulani Jihads, it is probably fair to say most of these areas were nominally Muslim but even the ruling class were not particularly strict. While household troops, like the heavily armoured cavalry, were usually also the bodyguards of the emir, the majority of troops were on foot and would supply some of their own equipment. Still, so far it has seemed to me, in my admittedly cursory attempts to research these areas, that the takouba fairly quickly supplanted native sword forms. Cheers, Iain