African dagger. Completely stumped

blue lander · 11th April 2014, 04:29 PM

It just arrived today. I've attached two more pictures, one of the guard and one of the pommel. The blade and all the metal bits on it are an orangish metal, so I assume brass.

DaveA · 13th April 2014, 05:12 PM

The cross-hatching on the hilt reminds me of this Burmese dha in my collection. I suppose the design, having such utility for a good grip on the weapon, is probably not uncommon. No idea on the blade

Dave A

chregu · 13th April 2014, 06:12 PM

hello together

'm not quite sure such knives've seen in dancers.
I think there were dervish dances.

blue lander · 15th April 2014, 02:38 AM

Thanks for the leads everyone.

What's the etiquette for brass blades? Should I clean this one up or leave the patina on it like I would with a steel blade?

blue lander · 18th June 2014, 03:01 PM

Another one of these knives went up for auction, so I bought it. The seller says it's from the Maghreb, but who knows how he came to that attribution. That would sync up with it being a dervish knife, though.

It more or less looks the same as the one I have, I'll compare the dimensions when it arrives in the mail. I assume the grip's hamster bone like the last one. Judging from how poorly carved it is, it must have been made back when it wasn't a very valuable material.

spiral · 19th June 2014, 09:15 PM

To me they look like a tourist version of a Reguibat knife from southern Morocco, Mauritania, Mali etc.

spiral

blue lander · 20th June 2014, 03:43 PM

Are there any pictures of there of the "non-tourist" version of this knife? Google images doesn't come up with anything that looks similar to these.

David · 18th August 2014, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blue lander

I assume the grip's hamster bone like the last one. Judging from how poorly carved it is, it must have been made back when it wasn't a very valuable material.

Are you assuming this is ivory? I would think something like camel bone would be much more likely, still not a particularly valuable material.

blue lander · 18th August 2014, 05:32 PM

I'm no expert of course. I did the hot needle test and the material doesn't burn/singe/melt at all. Also it's surprisingly heavy and feels cold to the touch like a stone. And it doesn't have the little black dots/streaks you see in old bones.

I'm sure parallel development is the explanation here. I just thought the similarities were very interesting, especially since these two items seem to have more in common with each other than they do with other swords/knives from their respective regions.

11th April 2014, 04:29 PM	#1
blue lander Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 456	It just arrived today. I've attached two more pictures, one of the guard and one of the pommel. The blade and all the metal bits on it are an orangish metal, so I assume brass. Attached Images

13th April 2014, 05:12 PM	#2
DaveA Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Wisconsin, USA Posts: 424	Cross-hatch design The cross-hatching on the hilt reminds me of this Burmese dha in my collection. I suppose the design, having such utility for a good grip on the weapon, is probably not uncommon. No idea on the blade Dave A Attached Images

18th June 2014, 03:01 PM	#5
blue lander Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 456	Another one of these knives went up for auction, so I bought it. The seller says it's from the Maghreb, but who knows how he came to that attribution. That would sync up with it being a dervish knife, though. It more or less looks the same as the one I have, I'll compare the dimensions when it arrives in the mail. I assume the grip's hamster bone like the last one. Judging from how poorly carved it is, it must have been made back when it wasn't a very valuable material. Attached Images

13th April 2014, 06:12 PM	#3
chregu Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: switzerland Posts: 298	hello together 'm not quite sure such knives've seen in dancers. I think there were dervish dances.

15th April 2014, 02:38 AM	#4
blue lander Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 456	Thanks for the leads everyone. What's the etiquette for brass blades? Should I clean this one up or leave the patina on it like I would with a steel blade?

19th June 2014, 09:15 PM	#6
spiral Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,712	To me they look like a tourist version of a Reguibat knife from southern Morocco, Mauritania, Mali etc. spiral

20th June 2014, 03:43 PM	#7
blue lander Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 456	Are there any pictures of there of the "non-tourist" version of this knife? Google images doesn't come up with anything that looks similar to these.

18th August 2014, 05:32 PM	#9
blue lander Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 456	I'm no expert of course. I did the hot needle test and the material doesn't burn/singe/melt at all. Also it's surprisingly heavy and feels cold to the touch like a stone. And it doesn't have the little black dots/streaks you see in old bones. I'm sure parallel development is the explanation here. I just thought the similarities were very interesting, especially since these two items seem to have more in common with each other than they do with other swords/knives from their respective regions.