Some observations about the so called Guduf swords

Edster · 9th May 2020, 01:06 AM

Yvain,

I was totally ignorant of Guduf swords and their social context. You provided an interesting and informative analysis. A couple of our forum members have/had such swords and offer more details in this 2011 post.

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=14062

No need to apologise for your English. It is my mother tongue, and I could not have done better.

Regards,
Ed

Yvain · 9th May 2020, 09:53 AM

Thank you for your kind words Edster, I always feel like my English gets worse the longer I write

Thanks for linking Iain post, it is indeed one of the few places I had seen this type of swords dicussed before, when I started researching them.

Interesting to note that this type was attributed to the indefinite "kirdi" group before the Guduf attribution was proposed.

We can also link this conversation : http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ighlight=Guduf, in which one of those swords was initially described as "Fulbe" (which would make sense, as it seems like they were used in Fulbe communities), and was collected in Cameroon near the Central African Republic.

CharlesS · 9th May 2020, 01:09 PM

Thanks for your information and pics! That is one of the most elegant of African swords in my opinion.

Araña_del_Sol · 9th May 2020, 08:25 PM

Excellent write up! I have always been interested in the history and development of these swords, particularly with regard to their hypothetical ancestral (or derived) relationship to the more well known takouba. It would be interesting to know more about why these swords are associated with the Guduf given the diversity in the region and the historical context you provided.

- ADS

Yvain · 10th May 2020, 02:25 PM

Thanks ! Regarding the takouba, it's interesting to note that we can see some in the pictures above, carried alongside Dìì swords.

As for the link between this type of swords and the Guduf, I guess the answer would be in the work of Wente-Lukas, but I sadly can't find it.

Martin Lubojacky · 10th May 2020, 02:45 PM

Thank you very much for this very interesting and nicely written essay and shearing your knowledge !

I don´t have anything to add, and, unfortunately, I also don´t have this kind of sword. I hope you wouldn´t mind if I post here picture of some another blades collected in north Nigeria/Cameroon borderland.
Martin

Yvain · 11th May 2020, 12:31 AM

You're welcome Martin, my pleasure !

That's quite the selection you have here, I really like the Chamba (?) and takouba like ones !

9th May 2020, 01:06 AM	#1
Edster Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 440	Yvain, I was totally ignorant of Guduf swords and their social context. You provided an interesting and informative analysis. A couple of our forum members have/had such swords and offer more details in this 2011 post. http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=14062 No need to apologise for your English. It is my mother tongue, and I could not have done better. Regards, Ed Last edited by Edster; 9th May 2020 at 02:34 AM.

9th May 2020, 08:25 PM	#4
Araña_del_Sol Member Join Date: Oct 2018 Posts: 60	Excellent write up! I have always been interested in the history and development of these swords, particularly with regard to their hypothetical ancestral (or derived) relationship to the more well known takouba. It would be interesting to know more about why these swords are associated with the Guduf given the diversity in the region and the historical context you provided. - ADS Last edited by Araña_del_Sol; 10th May 2020 at 05:13 AM. Reason: grammatical error

10th May 2020, 02:45 PM	#6
Martin Lubojacky Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Czech Republic Posts: 845	Thank you very much for this very interesting and nicely written essay and shearing your knowledge ! I don´t have anything to add, and, unfortunately, I also don´t have this kind of sword. I hope you wouldn´t mind if I post here picture of some another blades collected in north Nigeria/Cameroon borderland. Martin Attached Images

9th May 2020, 09:53 AM	#2
Yvain Member Join Date: May 2017 Location: France Posts: 181	Thank you for your kind words Edster, I always feel like my English gets worse the longer I write Thanks for linking Iain post, it is indeed one of the few places I had seen this type of swords dicussed before, when I started researching them. Interesting to note that this type was attributed to the indefinite "kirdi" group before the Guduf attribution was proposed. We can also link this conversation : http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ighlight=Guduf, in which one of those swords was initially described as "Fulbe" (which would make sense, as it seems like they were used in Fulbe communities), and was collected in Cameroon near the Central African Republic.

9th May 2020, 01:09 PM	#3
CharlesS Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Greenville, NC Posts: 1,854	Thanks for your information and pics! That is one of the most elegant of African swords in my opinion.

10th May 2020, 02:25 PM	#5
Yvain Member Join Date: May 2017 Location: France Posts: 181	Thanks ! Regarding the takouba, it's interesting to note that we can see some in the pictures above, carried alongside Dìì swords. As for the link between this type of swords and the Guduf, I guess the answer would be in the work of Wente-Lukas, but I sadly can't find it.

11th May 2020, 12:31 AM	#7
Yvain Member Join Date: May 2017 Location: France Posts: 181	You're welcome Martin, my pleasure ! That's quite the selection you have here, I really like the Chamba (?) and takouba like ones !