African (?) knife

[Sajen]

Yvain,

The knife is a Chinese dagger, often called pirate dagger.

[Yvain]

Wow that's amazing Drac2k!



I didn't expect the actual owner of it to show up! Do you happen to have better pictures of it, and would you mind sharing them here? Do you have any additional information about its provenance?

[David R]

I would not make any judgements based on a scabbard, dealers have a habit of mix and match.

I was once offered a really nice small Dha, in a steel bayonet scabbard, and I asked if he had the original that came with it. He did, and so I bought the piece.... he had swapped scabbards because he thought the steel bayonet scabbard made it more saleable.

[Yvain]

David,



While I definitely agree with you on the principle, I think that it might be more significant in this case, since the sheath fits the knife perfectly (even following the shape of the blade), and, more importantly, since at least one other example (Drac2k's sword) displays a similar sheath. More pictures of Drac2k's sword would certainly allow us to learn more on the subject.

[drac2k]

Sure thing. While all things are possible, my bet is on African; also the scabbard fits perfectly(what is left of it).

[Yvain]

Thank you very much for the pictures Drac2k ! It's truly amazing how similar they are, did a quick and dirty comparison between the two. How long is the sword approximately ?

Regarding the sheath, it definitely looks African (Mandingo ?) to me, and I'm starting to doubt that two very similar faca de ponta somehow ending up in African sheaths is a coincidence. I definitely need do to more research !

[Martin Lubojacky]

Enclosed is photo of scabbard from Mali with a typical cord fastening

[Ren Ren]

Originally Posted by Sajen

Yvain,

The knife is a Chinese dagger, often called pirate dagger.

I agree, this is a pirate dagger from the Vietnam-China border. The Chinese attribute these items to the Zhuang people, and the Vietnamese to the Nung people.