Ethnographic Arms & Armour
 

Go Back   Ethnographic Arms & Armour > Discussion Forums > Ethnographic Weapons

 
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Prev Previous Post   Next Post Next
Old 23rd August 2024, 05:46 AM   #1
Interested Party
Member
 
Interested Party's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2019
Location: Eastern Sierra
Posts: 481
Default Seme

A while back I found a small seme at a decent price. I have always regretted not trying to buy one from Maasai friends when I worked in southeast Kenya. This one is ribbed and clublike in its weight. Its overall length is 20 3/4", 52.5cm. The blade measures 15 1/2", 39.2cm long. 2 1/8" wide at spatula and 3/4", 2cm at handle. The rib is 1/4", 0.6cm at the spatula and 3/8", 0.9cm thick at the handle. The blade is almost hollow ground on either side of the rib. At the spatula tip it is slightly thicker on the edge than 1/2" back where it is 3/64", 0.2cm thick. It is much heavier than the working semes I saw 10-15 years ago made from cut down machetes which seemed to be used primarily as butcher knives. As I said this one is ribbed and Masai red but does not ever appear to have been sharpened and has a considerable blunt portion of the blade that extends 5", 12.5 cm up from the handle. This portion of the blade looks like it was never intended to have an edge.

What do you all think? A) was this a Masai blade? B) a tourist or just an old blade that was snatched up before it was ever used? C) If a tourist blade, are there production centers making ribbed blades for the tourist market due to demand for old fashioned blades?

Thanks for any help on this subject.
IP

Name:  IMG_4038 narrow resize.jpg
Views: 882
Size:  767.3 KBName:  IMG_4039 no 2 detail resize.jpg
Views: 892
Size:  543.9 KB

Name:  IMG_4037 resize.jpg
Views: 873
Size:  1.11 MB
Interested Party is offline   Reply With Quote
 

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 11:43 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Posts are regarded as being copyrighted by their authors and the act of posting material is deemed to be a granting of an irrevocable nonexclusive license for display here.