Kaskara for Comment.

[Edster]

Thanks, David. I really glad I lucked on to the EAA forum. Great informative posts and a great bunch of folks interested in sharing knowledge.

A couple of stylistic areas I like to see explored:

1.) Most of the kaskaras I saw in Kassala and in the Mahdi Museum in Omdurman had intergral "tassles" on the handles. Some of the photos shared on the forum have them while others do not. I wonder if tassles are time and or place of origin related. I have a silver mounted kaskara from Eastern Sudan supposedly circa 1915, plus two others with just leather from there as well. All three have tassles. I wonder if examples from Chad and Western Sudan are without.

2.) Some blades have talismic stamps like the Fly referenced in a post above. It would be neat to catalogue as many stamps as possible to assist in identification in time and place of origin is possible. It was told to me that the "Suliman" has five groves that extend down a third of the blade followed by a multi-rayed sun is the "Suliman Abu Shammish" (Father of the Sun). Also, the +O symbol is a Drum to build up courage while the Rampant Lion is a "Dukare Affringe" for brave men. Another one is a circle, sometimes two with a couple of small circles inside and a wiggly line inside. I don't recall what this one means, but it fairly common. I'm not aware of any special time or place criteria for these except I learned about them and saw samples in Kassala, Eastern Sudan in 1984. My inspection sample is rather limited. There must be several other examples in the Forum's collections or in reference books.

The beating of big tribal brass or copper?? drums was a big deal during the Mahdiya and any time tribal unity was needed. (Sort of like "calling out the clan" in Scottish history, I imagine. Many were buried after the British reconquest and their locations have been lost to the tribal groups and to history.

Take care,
Edster

[Iain]

Hi Ed,

Very interesting notes. In particular your comments about the +O markings. As these undoubtedly are derived from the common Solingen cross and orb markings. I find it fascinating the mark was not only applied by local smiths, but also co-opted for a specific talismanic intention. While it has been long assumed that European marks where applied locally as a sign of quality, I at least had been unaware that such specific meanings had been assigned to them.

I wonder if the same meanings cross apply to takouba blades... I have an old takouba blade with the cross and orb, however the application of the marks makes it somewhat suspect to me that they are European in origin. It would be interesting if similar talismanic meanings crossed over into Tuareg culture.

Where you aware of any locally applied running wolf markings and specific meanings attached to them in the kaskaras you saw?

Best,

Iain

[Edster]

Hi Iain,

I'm not familiar with the Soligen marks or takoubas except those posted on EAA. But in my opinion they are stylistically superior to the kaskara.

No doubt trans-saharra (sic) trade between Algeria and Chad and then to Western Sudan. Trans-Sahalian movement to the east as pilgrims travelled from west Africa across Sudan to Mecca for the haj. A lot of Hausa Hajjis settled in Sudan rather than go all the way back home. Also, the 40 Day Road from Kordofan to Eqypt was another trade link. Blades and design ideas no doubt flowed in all directions and were translated into the local "cultural currency". Don't forget the trade and warfare between Sudanic kingdoms and Abasinnia (sic, again). The Ethiopians had a higher culture and presumably better technology than the Sudanese.

Many of these travellers were of the same Sufi orders and the common membership was a strong basis of social relationships. Blacksmiths also were Sufis, even though they were marginalized by local leaderships. Travel and common social linkages would have been a major way for stylistic, talismic and technological transmission to take place. Testing of these notions on the ground is the really cool part of anthropology.

I wonder if there is a simple non-distructive test for blade carbon and other alloy content. Since most contemporary Kassala made kaskara blades are forged from Land-Rover and lorry leaf springs, it would be a good way of dating blades before and after the 1899 reconquest. I lot of "Mahdiya" swords were wrought iron and any locally carbonized blades would likely be highly variable in carbon content.

Wouldn't be neat to identify someone in Kassala blacksmith market with an email address or cell phone so we could just call them up and get a consultation directly from the local experts.

Best,
Edster

[stephen wood]

Very interesting. this thread has the O+, the lion and the fly - all associated, along with the death's head, with the Solingen maker Peter Kull. I am very pleased that the O+ is called a drum - I had thought that either the O+ or the comet mark might be the one described thus.

Burckhardt (in the region 1812-15) records that the Nouba word for sword is fareynga, and dukari is said by Cabot-Briggs to mean the half-moon marks. If dukari/dukare meant simply a mark then dukare affringe would mean frankish mark...

...I think the tassels might be a fairly recent phenomenon - I have yet to see an old illustration showing them. I have seen older swords which have the remains of plaited leather sword knots, or in one case, silk. One of the most common types of sword (1930's onwards?) is actually made with a recess below the pommel to hold the tassel.

The copper drums mentioned were recorded by the (late great) David Fanshawe in the 1960's and can be found on the CD Music of the Nile.

[katana]

Thanks to Aris (Rumpel), I have contacted Durham University. Unfortunately they could not provide further information, but have sent me a very nice image of Ali Dinar's Kaskara and a fantastic example it is . I have requested permission to post the picture here and am waiting their response.

Kind Regards David

[VANDOO]

HERE ARE A COUPLE MORE TO THROW INTO THE POST PERHAPS SOMETHING CAN BE LEARNED FROM THE DESIGNS OR MARKS.
UNFORTUNATELY I HAVE THE PICTURES BUT NO FURTHER INFO. ONE OF THE PROBLEMS WITH TAKEING PICTURES FROM THE INTERNET OFTEN THERE IS LITTLE INFO OR NOT ENOUGH ROOM TO WRITE IT AND ITS DATE AND SOURCE IN THE DESCRIPTION.

[katana]

Hi Vandoo,
very nice examples.....the lower Kaskara has ....well certainly looks like, the mark of the 'Lion of Judah'. Never seen this marking on a Kaskara before.... Ethiopian ??

Regards David