Kaskara Cross-guards—a second essay for comment by Ed Hunley

[Edster]

The .pdf and printable version of this essay is now available on the EAA Geographical Index as "Kaskara Cross-guards/Quillons"

or directly via this link.

http://vikingsword.com/ethsword/hunl...ara_guards.pdf

As with the Kaskara Fullers monograph, I am indebted to Lee Jones who's layout and editing skills converted the raw thread into a professional document. Also, a special thanks to Ian Greaves who converted my original text and images into a readable thread.

I also appreciate the valuable insights of various Forum Members who added their comments and images to the original thread. It took all of us to produce a useful and I believe significant document.

Expect the third essay, "Kaskara in Silver Dress", to be converted to .pdf soon.

Best regards,
Ed Hunley

[fernando]

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Dear Ed, First congratulations on this great thread and clearly a whole lot of effort has gone into its production.

Perhaps you can note that it is arranged in direct opposite to the thread we are dealing upon over the likeness to Manding and other weapons across the region...and that in the first instance you align this detail below in italic;

Note: Mandinka swords from West Africa also have a leaf-shaped scabbard, but there are apparently no strong cultural links that would have influenced the design of the kaskara’s scabbard.]

and that further on you suggest that it was Manding that passed on the flared scabbard at hajj to the Sudani at Hajj. pitt rivers museum think experts show it was the other way around but notwithstanding the direction it was transferred from would that not indicate a certain degree of liason between the two nations in contradiction of your earlier suggestion of little or no cultural links? Moreover would not the fact that both nations had adopted the Arabic alphabet be of some support to the contrary.

Would not the proven catalysts of war, religion, trade, exploration have come under the broad brush of interaction and liaison/ cultural exchange? Other experts according to museum reports suggest that the scabbard was a crocodile form and was known across broad swathes of tribal Africa and that the reason for its geometric as opposed to animal design was owing to the rules for artistic impression in the religion and that leatherworkers were the first Manding to convert to Islam at least in the Manding homeland...but that Sudan converted earlier being much further east.
Could it be that Manding and kaskara are not fighting weapons. We know that the higher ranking Sudani wearers of the silver hilts never used the kaskara to fight. Badge of office only.

I see little evidence that any of these were weapons as such save the possibility that the cross guard is a fighting sword marker in other countries...yet equally I could point out that many of these kaskara when adopted by the Mahdi had very flimsy blades and more designed as carriers of Islamic quotations and edicts rather than battle swords yet they has the same guards.. Alam in miniature carried by thousands of warriors as inspiration and religious guidance etc

If the Manding was not a weapon then what was the role of the kaskara?

Was it not the case that although carried into war they were originally not actual battle swords? Naturally the weapon which did most damage was the spear and lance but the question raises the point of what was the primary use for this so called weapon..Was it not purely psychological?

Thus I think that is two questions of some importance~

1. What evidence is there that the kaskara was a fighting weapon?
2. Which way was the transfer of technology/style (to the East or West) and surely the influence was present as the two countries were in fact culturally linked ?

[Edster]

Ibrahiim,

Well argued piece. Unfortunately, I wrote the comments on the Mandin scabbard before we benefited from this thread's discussion. I didn't consider the design important to the essay's cross-guard context except that it had similar design to the kaskara's. Also, I didn't see Pitt-Rivers' comments and have seen no other firm attribution to croc. head symbolism. We must be cautious of academic speculations. Maybe someone should write a paper on African sword scabbards.

It's late here now and I won't take time to dig up specific references, but I'll try to make some relevant comments.

State Islam came to Mali/West Africa much earlier than than the Nile Valley. Massa Musa made his pilgrimage in 13 Something, but state Islam didn't come to the Funj Kingdom until after 1500. Of course, Muslim Arab tribes entered upper Egypt from c.900 and merged with the Beja, but the Christian Kingdoms of the Nile survived until the coming of the Funj and their influence lasted much longer. From early times Arab traders had their own quarters in market towns and were allowed to practice their religion., but did not try to convert locals.

I don't know when imported swords and German sword blades became the Kaskara as we know it, probably sometime in say mid-1800s, but swords were weapons of early Muslims likely from the beginning of their arrival as they were weapons of the early Arab armies. The northern Beja gave up spears for swords around 1750 while the southern Beja kept their spears. They were never devout Muslims even during Mahdist times.

Travelers reports say that elites used sabers and silver mounted swords as symbols of authority, but I think that Burkhart says that Funj bodyguards/elite cavalry used swords as part of their armament.

The only reports I know (EAA threads) say that some Thuluth swords had flimsy blades, but other examples do not. I doubt that they were used as battle swords.

Mading scabbards have more elaborate designs and even high end kaskara scabbards are richer than the run of the mill kaskara. BTW, leather workers are much lower on the social ladder than than blacksmiths who are themselves lower than silver & goldsmiths. I think I read that leather work from Bergami was superior.

My Beja/Hadendawa informants at the Kassala blacksmith/sword suq said (1984) that Osmond Digna asked them to make weapons for the Mahdi's army. Included was an array of knives, a short sword called the Ansar plus the kaskara as we know it.

I'm now convinced that there was much cultural transfer between Mading and Funj/Nile Valley. The 40 Day caravan route from Dongala/Nubia to Darfur was active from Dynastic times, but it was mostly a waterless trek from Sennar across Kordofan to Darfur. Sennar traded north up the Nile to Cairo or to Suakin and similar ports on the Red Sea. Of course Arab merchants went from Darfur to Kano and points west, but there was more Christian cultural practices (mark of the Cross at weddings and births, etc.) 300 years after the fall of the Nile Christian kingdoms. Craftsmen traveled back and forth along the Sahel routes. Likely Berghami leather workers traveled to Darfur and set up a scabbard shop. Maybe they worked with a leather worker from the Funj area, compared notes and went into business together. This is just speculation, and I'm no academic.

Best regards,
Ed

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

THANK YOU ED ..A great reply and I enjoyed reading your treatise. I actually think the British with only about 47 casualties stopped most blade to blade exchanges by effective gun and cannon fire though the 21st did come into close contact where blades were encountered and the enemy grouping included spear regiments and sword regiments …

The pilgrimage you speak of was according to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandinka_people in 1324AD after which middle east Muslims were attracted to visit West Africa..

In Manding Society I thought the Leathersmiths had a strong position as they converted earlier than the other artisan groups and certainly the leather work on the sword is the highlight of the sword and richly ornate particularly the Baldric straps...hilt etc whereas the blade is imported..French Cav and German.

[Edster]

Good paper on Sudanese fighting styles is "Oral Traditions Among the Shukriyya" Ibrahim al-Hardallo in Directions in Sudanese Linguistics & Folklore, Institute of African & Asian Studies, Univ Of Khartoum, 1975. I only have a xerox copy.

Article describes traditions of battles between the Shukriyya and the Batahin, Hamaj and others in the Butana plain (east of the Nile) c.1720. Often tribes fought preliminary battles between opposing champions and mounted knight groups before the tribes went at it in a maley (sic).The matter could be settled without a lot of bloodshed. Arms were 3-6 javelins, a spear and sword. Sometimes they fought mounted and others on foot. In a certain battle Abu Ali of the Shuk. cut off Sigmud's head. Another battle including guns and seven Shuk. knights. Shuk. won and captured many swords, spears and quantities of horse-armour.

I don't think there is any doubt about the fighting role of swords in Eastern Sudan. No doubt "swords'" cross-guards evolved into those we know as kaskara sometime before 1879 the Shuk. knight shown in the Fig. 30 in this thread.

Best,
Ed

[ariel]

Outstanding research by Ed with very important information!

Similarly, excellent discussion by Ibrahiim and Ian.

The entire text is well deserving permanent placement into the Classics section.

My hat is off to all participants. A+++!