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

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

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

Tippu Tip was active relatively late and in the reign of several Sultans of Zanzibar but what is also important is that his father and grandfather were seasoned hands in the same business and very active before him... and from whom he learned the business. it fact tippu tip was active earlier as below...

In 1855, Livingstone discovered a spectacular waterfall which he named Victoria Falls. Livingstone spent his final years in Africa from 1866 to 1873 searching for the source of the Nile, a journey that led him into the slave and ivory trading stronghold of Tippu Tip.
Livingstone was ill and destitute; Tippu Tip helped Livingstone with supplies and directions. Livingstone wrote this passage in his journal: 29th July, 1867.-Went 2½ hours west to village of Ponda, where a head Arab, called by the natives Tipo Tipo, lives; his name is Hamid bin Mahamed bin Juma Borajib.

Yes Ed I can always agree with you on this except I know there are many factors and details to consider in concluding this conundrum...but with excellent input like yours Im certain a clearer picture can be built up.

What we were left with when Zanzibar essentially imploded was a clouded impossible to fathom 100 year dark ages where not only facts were twisted but forgotten details sank into a void. Oman only resurfaced in 1970 and so much history was erased, forgotten and lost. I remind readers that the empire built to the south was not a physical owned territory but a vibrant trading interlinked region.. based on a city state HUB (Zanzibar) which collapsed shortly after Saaid the Great died . The picture is by no means clear and much has yet to be revealed. And it is early days yet to form a conclusion >>You aint seen Nuthin' yet would be my advice.

[CharlesS]

I think it has been pretty clear beginning with Jim's initial post that "proof" here would be next to impossible. What this has given us the opportunity to do is look carefully at a "yes" to connections between the two swords, and a "no" to the same. In both cases, insightful opinions were made, and I can say I am more learned from both! In our hobby, there are a lot of conceivable "what ifs". It's proof that is the hard part, but that doesn't make the wonder of possibilities any less fun.

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by CharlesS

I think it has been pretty clear beginning with Jim's initial post that "proof" here would be next to impossible. What this has given us the opportunity to do is look carefully at a "yes" to connections between the two swords, and a "no" to the same. In both cases, insightful opinions were made, and I can say I am more learned from both! In our hobby, there are a lot of conceivable "what ifs". It's proof that is the hard part, but that doesn't make the wonder of possibilities any less fun.

Very well put Charles, and thank you. You have really hit on the theme of this entire exercise, in which my posing of the question of possible connections between these three sword 'forms' was admittedly somewhat specious.
What followed was exactly what I hoped for...literally the 'top guns' offering their valuable insight and rebuttals in a perfectly useful and constructive discourse.


Along with you, I must say that I am more learned from this as well, and while we have not come up with any conclusive resolution, we now have better perspective of what is and what isn't and why.

Thank you so much guys!

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

To give an idea of scale and time/distance ...but moreover the strategic position as a pivot / springboard between West and East Africa view this map ...Further clues to west east Mandinka movement are noted at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandinka_people

[Jim McDougall]

So it would seem that the motivation for Manding movement, though on a more individual scale and incidental rather than a systemic trade movement would perhaps be religiously driven. That is since they are primarily Muslim, the Hadj, and on these caravan trips, I believe persons brought wares and items they would sell to finance their passage.
This is a more feasible idea than massive groups of certain people moving in an almost diaspora like movement for trade or other purposes.

The trade interactions within Saharan regions seem to have also been facilitated by other nomadic groups and territorial tribal movements within certain regional boundaries and their interactions. The Manding people are actually numerous tribes or groups situated in numerous West African countries.
Further East, in Saharan regions, there are tribes such as the Hausa, who are well known blacksmiths and metal workers and account for many of the swords and weapons produced and traded through many tribal groups as well as the caravans.

These are my understandings at least, so I will be grateful for any elucidation required of course.

I had forgotten about the pilgrimage element, which I believe was more an incidental factor in the occurrence of disparite weaponry across the continent of Africa, and which may have triggered certain influences in those of varied other regions. This seems to have been the case with the s'boula of Morocco, which appeared in Abyssinia in number enough to have been presumed an Abyssinian weapon and so classified in some references.
Its travel even continued into Zanzibar, where first Demmin (1877) then Burton (1884) thought it to be a Zanzibar weapon.

[Iain]

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

So it would seem that the motivation for Manding movement, though on a more individual scale and incidental rather than a systemic trade movement would perhaps be religiously driven. That is since they are primarily Muslim, the Hadj, and on these caravan trips, I believe persons brought wares and items they would sell to finance their passage.
This is a more feasible idea than massive groups of certain people moving in an almost diaspora like movement for trade or other purposes.

The routes operated a little differently, hajj caravans were organized from key cities such as Kano. This is more of a late 18th and early 19th century phenomenon. Prior to this typically a hajj was organized by a ruler who would take an entourage but was far less common for the average person.

It was typical for a notable figure such as a merchant or religious scholar to lead the caravan and typically this included stops in the main cities of the lands they passed through to acquire letters for safe conduct and to solicit alms.

This is not to say that some commerce didn't occur but there was some degree of reliance on charity as mentioned.

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by Iain

The routes operated a little differently, hajj caravans were organized from key cities such as Kano. This is more of a late 18th and early 19th century phenomenon. Prior to this typically a hajj was organized by a ruler who would take an entourage but was far less common for the average person.

It was typical for a notable figure such as a merchant or religious scholar to lead the caravan and typically this included stops in the main cities of the lands they passed through to acquire letters for safe conduct and to solicit alms.

This is not to say that some commerce didn't occur but there was some degree of reliance on charity as mentioned.

Thank you Iain, it is always good to get your perspective as I don't think anyone has studied the dynamics of these North African regions with the tenacity you have. I would understand the Hadj situation as being more a 'modern' matter (18th-19thc) and it makes sense that Hadj caravans would be guided by religious or notable figures. I had thought that the sale of personal items (brought intentionally for such purpose) would take place as well as seeking alms. Still, the point is the movement of often regional types of weapon into areas where they are not commonly known.

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by Iain

The routes operated a little differently, hajj caravans were organized from key cities such as Kano. This is more of a late 18th and early 19th century phenomenon. Prior to this typically a hajj was organized by a ruler who would take an entourage but was far less common for the average person.

It was typical for a notable figure such as a merchant or religious scholar to lead the caravan and typically this included stops in the main cities of the lands they passed through to acquire letters for safe conduct and to solicit alms.

This is not to say that some commerce didn't occur but there was some degree of reliance on charity as mentioned.

Thank you Iain, that sounds like a most reasonable description of the Hadj caravans, and honestly I had not considered that these would have operated independently and likely via perhaps different routes than commercial ones. Obviously their ajendas would be different.
I think that with these caravans comprehensively however, the diffusion of these regional weapons, however incidental, would constitute some notable presence over time. Obtaining safe conduct is a good point, and the barter of these weapons even as novelties seems a good likelihood.

Again, I think that weapons which in effect are 'exotic' or foreign and worn as swords of 'distinction' would present an admired convention to individuals in these transactions. This might be compared for example to English merchants and dignitaries proudly wearing Ceylonese kastane, or Moroccan 'nimcha'. With these, much as with the long hilt kattara and Manding sabres these were swords of distinction, not necessarily for fighting. Just as with European court swords and small swords, in a situation they could likely be pressed into use.