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Old 11th April 2017, 10:54 PM   #4
Jim McDougall
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Route 66
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Excellent approach Redline!
These 'telek' arm daggers are indeed very much Tuareg, but it must be remembered that that classification, as you have observed, is quite broadly applied. The Tuareg confederations of Berbers are dispersed over Saharan regions through Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Algeria and Libya and are pastoral nomadic people. They were keenly aligned with trade routes through all these regions, so as you can imagine their material culture was equally well dispersed.

These examples have the familiar Tuareg 'cross of Agadez', which though signifying that key region in Niger, was actually only one of the many variants of Tuareg 'cross' known (There are as many as 22). The actual symbolism is often debated, however it is generally held that the cross in their parlance represented the four cardinal directions, or four corners of the world. Items with this were typically presented to a son by his father in rites of passage, signifying this meaning .

While the telek (an arm dagger worn hilt down on the upper arm) often had these 'crosses', by no means were these the only hilt forms.
As far as regionally, though these crosses are known collectively as 'Agadez' crosses, they are as observed indicative of various regions which seem to have their own favored interpretations. Some of these may be quite subtle, and probably quite often misclassified by observers as the trade factor has dispersed these items considerably.

A great source of data on these kinds of forms etc. in jewelry (which often transmits to weaponry motif) is "Africa Adorned" by Angela Fisher. A well illustrated fascinating book which offers great insight into the style and forms of ethnic peoples in Africa.

The scabbard forms here, as well as the arm loops, offer some potential for perhaps more regional classification, but it will take some research!! We can say these are Tuareg telek (or gozma), and possibly the hilt cross shapes might offer some clue .
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