Somalian Billao

[Aurangzeb]

Hi Tom!

I find it odd that they wear belts in Somalia.In the very good book"African Arms and Armour" on Pg.-106 picture 104 of a Souther Somali man wearing a dagger similer to mine.But why are Billao's also referrd to as Belawa's.Is it Pronaunced BILL-A-O or BILL-OH.Do you think that these spiky pommels came out of a need to impess european buyers or is it personal taste.

[tom hyle]

I find that multiple spellings can be a good hint to pronouncing
I don't think that wearing a belt just to be wearing one is a traditional Somali thing (?), and I think the traditional skirts just tie on. Of course, the traditional belt is sewn to the sheath, similarly to the bracelet on arm daggers, so that's different. I suspect the slots on your sheath may relate to a modern military belt for carring things on. I don't think they'd take a "web" belt (?) but leather belts with looped pouches, sheaths, etc. was previously the European standard, and may still prevail with some armies (?).

[Aurangzeb]

Hi Tom!

The belt loop is to small for a web belt but fits a standard leather belt nicely,(I know this only by measuring,I can not get a belt through it)I find that very interesting how a late 19th. century dagger might have a relativly modern military connection.(with all the Somalian waring clans this whould not surise me,the reuse of old weapons such as a billao.You are certainly right about the leather belts,although not used by most modern hi-tech armies the various militias and clans of africa/asia seem to be like europe's sell off yard for outdated war-gear.Like the two FT-17 light tanks the army found over in Afghanistan in a junkyard.

[Oriental-Arms]

Few comments if I may:

AGE:

I have had the privilege to examine the one shown above and I really think it is an old one. Probably late 19 C. or very early 20 C. My reasons for the old dating are:
- The blade has a very shallow central rib. Later blades of similar daggers are usually flat.
- The horn handle is age worn and the patina on the spiked pommel is real.
- The general feeling of a real old item (This unfortunately I can not substantiate, but after so many years in the business, one develops the proper feeling of age).
- One exception though: The soft leather back may be later, added to cover a damaged or worn back.

BELT:

Most of the Billao will come with a soft leather belt, usually tooled with some geometrical design. The belt is diagonally sewn to the front side of the scabbard. The warrior in the photo referred to by Aurangzeb, has a very similar belt. See for example (A later, 20 C. piece in this case):



GRIP MATERIAL:

Water Buffalo horn is most common. Bone and Ivory are also seen from time to time. Rhino horn is very rare. I have seen only one with a Rhino horn grip. He grip spacers are made from a variety of materials: steel, brass, bone, ivory and Zinc. Later ones will come also with Aluminum spacers.

POMMEL SPIKES

Billao will come with either one central spike or three spikes. The three spikes ones are more common and are made of steel, or Zinc in the later ones, as properly mentioned above. The one prong pommels are less common, and in many cases are seen on the better specimens, with Ivory hilts. It is usually made of silver:



Or bone or ivory:



The reasons for this variations are not very clear. I have in my article drawer an article titled: AFRICAN ARMS, SHIELDS & WEAPONS 1890 to 1940. There is no indication on when or where it was published or by whom, so I take the liberty to quote from this article few short sentences Regarding the Billao:

”… the top of the grip denotes the status of the warrior or the wearer. The single, more pointed cap ornamentation denotes a brave and courageous warrior who had killed and survived many battles; The 3 pronged cap is for a lower echelon warrior who had yet to achieve the same status…”

[tom hyle]

I also see some other differences with the one-spikers you show; the horn/ivory/animal part of the guard is not the same shape; it is rectangular from a side view, while on the 3 spike ones it narrows to form a short part of the handle. Also, the arrangement of the spacers is different, and seems consistantly different. Any of this may be consistant with a military rank marker, as suggested, especially when taken with the ivory. Do African water buffaloes have pale/green horns? Aren't Somalis cattle-keepers?

[tom hyle]

Notice two little tabs, diagonal from each other, on the edges of the treadstarter's sheath; these seem to correspond the the placement of the traditional belt; perhaps it lost one. I haven't noticed this feature on others that have belts, but it is somewhat subtle, especially on a warpy and shrunk-up old sheath, and would be obscured by the belt......with the under the belt wear, these might give your belly a little extra protection from your own dagger by reinforcing the sheath's edges where it is pressed against you.

[Conogre]

While I can't speak with any certainty about the bilao daggers, the blades of the gile's seem to have become thinner with the advent of surplus milatary vehicle steel, while older pieces often had a darkened depression in the center with a central rib running from top to bottom.
This same chacteristic is/was also seen in spears from the area, with older heads having deeper depressions just as in the knives.
On newer spearheads it's my understanding that they'll crosshatch and darken the area in an attempt to achieve the same effect as in the deeper, older models.
I also suspect that the belt loop may have been a later repair/modification.
As to the horn, aside from water buffalo and cattle, oxen are still used in areas to arrid for the buffalo as beasts of burden with considerable amount of variation in the color of the horn, not just between different animals but even the same horn along its length.
Mike