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Old 2nd August 2015, 04:13 AM   #50
Jim McDougall
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Route 66
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Excellent observation Sancar!
Actually that is indeed an Ethiopian shotel with the European type blade, if I am correct on terminology. I have understood the 'gurade' as typically the stirrup hilt military style sabres for Ethiopia (usually German made).
In the early 20th century, Wilkinson Sword Co. had been supplying then Abyssinia with swords for a time, and these catalogs listed their wares.

Other similar pages illustrate Ethiopian blade variations for the traditional rhino horn 'shotel' which included both the deeply curved sickle type as well as the shallow curve military style. Both were used into the 1930s.

It is curious how this became mixed in with the Indian grouping, but in these times it does not seem uncommon for such interpolation in many references and in this case catalogs.

I once had a pair of British made tulwars (by Mole, contracted to Wilkinson) which had cast brass Indo-Persian hilts. These were quite true to form, and the British were quite attuned to such details. Native cavalry during the Raj were permitted to choose their favored weapons it would seem, as there are variations by regiment and some had traditional tulwars. Since the term tulwar was of course a general term for sword, and equally used to refer to the European style sabres in these regiments, it is unclear exactly what the actual form was.
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