The Manding sword, the Tuareg aljuinar and Omani curved kattara: Are they connected?

[Iain]

Originally Posted by Edster

Ibrahiim,

Tippu Tip was active from c. 1884 onward. Did the material culture exchange occur during that period? Seems pretty late.

Also, the Manding & Omani spheres were thousands of miles apart and in opposite directions with few opportunities for long-term associations or reasons to engage in trade.

Shall we agree to just disagree?

Best,
Ed

Agree completely Ed, completely different spheres here with really no interaction. As per the last time this came up, I really cannot see why it is so hard to conceive that two different cultures managed to wrap a tang with a leather grip and add a pommel...

Regarding the aljuinar, this is quite literally nothing more than the term for a curved blade when mounted in takouba hilts. No great mystery here, good blades were good blades and mounted up when available.

Unlike for example the Hausa/Fulani who formed communities within the Sudan, there is no record of Manding doing the same thing.

Sorry guys, but its simply a massive stretch. Even connections between Darfur and the Manding regions, well that would have passed through Hausa communities and Bornu.

There are plenty of cases where we see foreign sword styles introduced into the region, for example the state sword of Argungu in Nigeria, know as the sword of Kanta. This is a likely Persian hilt with lion headed pommel and typical saber quillions. But these are one offs, curiosities incorporated state regalia and likely the result of the common practice of gift giving swords as part of diplomatic relations between the Mamluks, Ottomans and in Africa, we have references for this within Africa as well as per al-Bakri and gifts given to the ruler of Gao on his conversion. These do not necessarily lead to the adoption of these styles as a wide spread model.