Telek ?

[Jim McDougall]

Rockelk, this is a quite interesting example of a Tuareg arm dagger, which is termed by them a 'telek'. The Tuareg are confederations of tribes which are primarily nomadic and inhabit Saharan regions from Tunisia all the way to Morocco, and regions throughout in between.

This example has the typical 'cross' (sometimes termed the Agades cross) which is symbolic in degree to these tribes not as a religious icon, but loosely signifies the four cardinal directions, north, south,east and west.
This same cross, and other variations are often seen on the 'horn' of their camel saddles. (attached image below).

According to anthropologist Lloyd Cabot Briggs in his "European Blades in Tuareg Swords and Daggers", (JAAS, Vol.V, #2, 1965) in the two plates attached below, this hilt form is attributed to the Ajjer regions (SE Algeria, see map circled in red) which is located on transSaharan trade routes.

The blade on this example you show is certainly European, quite likely 18th century. These blades were typically cut down, and they remained in use for many generations. Therefore, the mounts on yours are probably fairly recent, within the last 50 years or so.

In the 'Briggs' drawings, the blocked area at the forte often added to these cut down blades is a bolster termed 'adabal'. Yours seems to be without that feature. The examples in Briggs are from cut down 17th century rapier blades from Europe, which are of course quite narrow. Yours is a heavier 'arming' blade, but blades were used indiscriminately as available.

Very attractive example!