Lew Waldman's Ethnographic Arms & Armour Collection Archive


35 - East African Somali Short Sword or Dagger, late 19th to early 20th Century

The slightly asymmetrical double-edged blade is 12¾ inches (33 cm) long with a long hilt typical of a culture in Somalia within east Africa. The hilt made of water buffalo horn or wood with a glossy black finish. Numerous bands of gray metal decorate this hilt which has a narrow bolster of iron and a three-pronged hilt cap of iron. The base of the blade is a flattened hexagon in cross section that transitions to a flat diamond as the blade slightly widens and then narrows slightly asymmetrically to an acute tip. The blade appears finished by coarse file work, but with high points worn smooth. Scattered dings and scratches mark the hilt and there is a shallow nick in the blade. Overall length is 20¾ inches (52.5 cm) with a weight of 10¼ ounces (298 grams). Lew dated this example as circa 1890 to 1900.




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