Recent takoubas for sharing

[TVV]

Very nice gurda markings. Iain, is this takouba double or single edged? If double, was the blade originally like that?

Teodor

[Iain]

Originally Posted by TVV

Very nice gurda markings. Iain, is this takouba double or single edged? If double, was the blade originally like that?

Teodor

Hi Teodor,

Thre sickles and astral configurations are present on one side of the blade only. This was originally a single edged backsword blade, modified to be double edged in these mounts. There's a well worn ricasso as well.

This one has seen a lot of use and repeat sharpening in it's life and the mounts are decently old.

Iain

[TVV]

Very nice sword indeed. Based on the hilt, would you classify it as Hausa?

Teodor

[Iain]

Originally Posted by TVV

Very nice sword indeed. Based on the hilt, would you classify it as Hausa?

Teodor

Thanks! I'd actually put it down as Tuareg, but it's tough to say really. Without a scabbard it gets even tougher.

Decoratively there's nothing here to really distinguish this. This is an old drawing of a Tuareg example: http://encyclopedieberbere.revues.or...2159/img-1.png with a Spanish blade.

Even after much trying I've yet to find a definitive way to make ethnic classifications. Hausa tends to use longer scabbard throats and chaps, Nupe pieces are often all metal hilts. The wide blades are pretty distinctive etc...

But your basic mounts like these... Not really all that distinct.

It used to annoy me, but more and more I see it as a pattern that was simply very common across a large area and a type manufactured in the greatest numbers in a few commercial centers and widely exported. Hence it's not surprising to see them distributed far and wide among various ethnic groups, rather than being tribally distinct.

[TVV]

Iain, thanks for the explanation, always good to learn more about these obscure swords and your posts here and on your web site have been a great source of knowledge.

Regards,
Teodor

[Iain]

Originally Posted by TVV

Iain, thanks for the explanation, always good to learn more about these obscure swords and your posts here and on your web site have been a great source of knowledge.

Regards,
Teodor

Hi Teodor, I always enjoy sharing and appreciate when folks like yourself take the time to comment. As you say it's a bit obscure and somewhat of a lonely road collecting these!

One of the things I find the most interesting about them relates to the points I made above - they just don't fit well into the tribal oriented tendencies of most African arms collectors. IDing one is like someone gave you a Medieval European sword, told you the blade was German but that it could have been hilted anywhere in the continent and that there was no collection date, no details of where it had been found and zero period artwork to work with.

Takouba cover a similar range and provide similar frustrations. I can't say I've come any closer to pinning down precise attribution over the years, but I am least more comfortable with not being sure.

I have another one I was going to wait until I had in hand to show off, but I may as well do it here. It's a very old example with again a European blade. It has a couple rather unique features. First the tip retains the original form. Second the pommel rivet is a block and very well worked, rather than the usual little tang nub.

The blade has the Italian marca a mosca at the base and traces of an inlaid wolf further down.

I've been waiting a while to get this one in my hands! It's one of the more exciting ones to become available this year.

[Lee]

Yes! Very convincing.