gile knife of the Afar people?

hudson078 · 11th December 2015, 08:20 PM

hi everybody!

i've got this knife few days ago and i'd like to know more about this beacuse i'm not sure what is it exactly.
last weekend i visited an old friend and i found this knife in his basement and he told me that is coming from Morocco. a french man gave it to him long time ago who probably bought this knife in Morocco.
my friend wasn't interested in antiques and he just gave me this weapon

after i google the moroccan knives and it didn't match, those are completely different. then i tried with african knives and i found something similar on this site. it seems i have an afar gile

what do you think about it?

kahnjar1 · 12th December 2015, 04:25 AM

Yes an Ethiopian GILE. Here are a couple of pics from earlier posts and if you use the SEARCH function and key GILE you will find a lot more.
Stu

hudson078 · 12th December 2015, 09:27 AM

thx!
i found some post here in the forums and there is a lot of information about the Afars on the net. i'm not a collector nor an expert but i will keep this knife.
it's good to have something from a different culture what is coming from the Danakil desert what is the most cruel place on Earth.
it's reminds me that nothing is impossible

i really liked this piece, the craft, simplicity and the esthetic.
does anyone know how old is it?
originally it was a little bit lighter but i cleand up because there was a lot of dirt and dust on it. i used water with some soap and then i oiled(olive)the sheath and the handle(hard wood oil). now it looks much better

regards

Kubur · 12th December 2015, 02:55 PM

Hi,
Yes in fact they live to the East of Ethiopia, in the Afra region.
Most likely between Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia.
The Gile is an African version of the Yemeni jambiya.
Enjoy the photos!
Best,
Kubur

hudson078 · 12th December 2015, 08:32 PM

wow! thank you for the pictures!

probably the most ancient African tribes may be the Afar or Danakil tribe.
the new discoveries are proving that Ethiopia is the birthplace of humankind

hudson078 · 14th December 2015, 08:59 PM

our roots

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELCl43Yfg4o

11th December 2015, 08:20 PM	#1
hudson078 Member Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Netherlands Posts: 4	gile knife of the Afar people? hi everybody! i've got this knife few days ago and i'd like to know more about this beacuse i'm not sure what is it exactly. last weekend i visited an old friend and i found this knife in his basement and he told me that is coming from Morocco. a french man gave it to him long time ago who probably bought this knife in Morocco. my friend wasn't interested in antiques and he just gave me this weapon after i google the moroccan knives and it didn't match, those are completely different. then i tried with african knives and i found something similar on this site. it seems i have an afar gile what do you think about it? Attached Images

12th December 2015, 04:25 AM	#2
kahnjar1 Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: CHRISTCHURCH NEW ZEALAND Posts: 2,729	Yes an Ethiopian GILE. Here are a couple of pics from earlier posts and if you use the SEARCH function and key GILE you will find a lot more. Stu Attached Images

12th December 2015, 09:27 AM	#3
hudson078 Member Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Netherlands Posts: 4	thx! i found some post here in the forums and there is a lot of information about the Afars on the net. i'm not a collector nor an expert but i will keep this knife. it's good to have something from a different culture what is coming from the Danakil desert what is the most cruel place on Earth. it's reminds me that nothing is impossible i really liked this piece, the craft, simplicity and the esthetic. does anyone know how old is it? originally it was a little bit lighter but i cleand up because there was a lot of dirt and dust on it. i used water with some soap and then i oiled(olive)the sheath and the handle(hard wood oil). now it looks much better regards Attached Images

12th December 2015, 02:55 PM	#4
Kubur Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 2,145	Hi, Yes in fact they live to the East of Ethiopia, in the Afra region. Most likely between Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia. The Gile is an African version of the Yemeni jambiya. Enjoy the photos! Best, Kubur Attached Images

12th December 2015, 08:32 PM	#5
hudson078 Member Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Netherlands Posts: 4	wow! thank you for the pictures! probably the most ancient African tribes may be the Afar or Danakil tribe. the new discoveries are proving that Ethiopia is the birthplace of humankind

14th December 2015, 08:59 PM	#6
hudson078 Member Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Netherlands Posts: 4	our roots https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELCl43Yfg4o