Canary Island knife and leather sheath

[Ian]

On looking through the archives here, I was surprised to find that there is relatively little information about Canary Island knives.They are distinctive, attractive, and fairly common. While many of them may have been produced for those who travel, they are usually well made and functional. The knives are clearly Spanish Colonial in origin, and they seem to have been made mainly from the second half of the 19th C until WWII. Several years ago I found a company online that still appeared to be making them, but that link is not functioning now.

A recent inexpensive purchase prompted me to post some pictures here, and hopefully obtain more information about these knives. The following knife is a small example of the Canary Island type. It measures 9 inches overall and the blade is 5.5 inches. The blade shows evidence of lamination and an old patina, suggesting it may be 19th C in manufacture. There is a faint swedge to the spine over the distal 2 inches. As usually found, there is a "Spanish notch" on the blade adjacent to the hilt. The blade appears unmarked, although occasionally there are dot designs or a date punched into the blade at forte.

The hilt is a typical stacked variety with horn, bone, and wood discs, with brass fittings at each end. The hilt swells in the middle, similar to Spanish knives from Albacete and Ripol.

The brown leather sheath has been stitched down the middle of the back, and the front has been lightly cross-hatched to create a series of diamond shapes. Missing is the usual flap to retain the knife at the waist when worn inside trousers.
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[Ian]

The following examples are taken from sold items on the web site www.oriental-arms.co.il.


Knife 1. An example similar in size to the one I have shown in the original post of this thread. A single edge blade 5.5 inches long, dot punched decoration on the one side. Hilt composed of alternating discs of horn bone and brass. Total length 9 inches. Very good condition. No scabbard.

Knife 2. A single edge blade 6.5 inches long and 1.5 inches wide, dot punched decoration on the one side. Hilt composed of alternating discs of horn bone and brass. Original leather scabbard. Total length 10.5 inches. Very good condition.

Knife 3. A single edge blade 7 inches long, dot punched decoration on the one side. Hilt composed of alternating discs of horn bone white metal and brass. Total length 10 inches. Very good condition. No scabbard.

[Sajen]

Hi Ian,

Here are my two examples. 28,3 cm and 27,5 cm long.

[Ian]

Continuing with examples from the Oriental Arms website ...


Knife 4. A big blade 10 inches long and 1.5 inches wide, dot punched Eno (?) 16 de 67 (January 16 1867) on one side and punched dot decoration on the other side. Hilt composed of alternating discs of horn and brass. Total length 15 inches. Very good condition.

Knife 5. A single edge blade 5.5 inches long, dot punched decoration on the one side. Hilt composed of alternating discs of horn bone and brass. Total length 9 inches. Very good condition. No scabbard.

Knife 6. A single edge blade 6 1/2 inches long and 1 ½ inches wide, dot punched decoration on the one side. Hilt composed of alternating discs of horn bone and brass. Original leather scabbard. Total length 10 1/2 inches. Very good condition.

[Ian]

And the last three examples from Oriental Arms ...


Knife 7. A single edge blade 6.5 inches long and 1.5 inches wide, dot punched decoration on the one side. Hilt composed of alternating discs of horn bone and brass. Original leather scabbard. Total length 11 inches. Very good condition.

Knife 8. Single edge blades 5.5 and 4 inches long with dot punched decoration on the one side. Hilt composed of alternating discs of horn bone and brass. Original leather scabbards. Total length 9.5 and 6.5 inches. Very good condition. The seam of the small knife scabbard is open.

Knife 9. A single edge blade 7 inches long and 1.5 inches wide, dot punched decoration on the one side. Hilt composed of alternating discs of horn and brass. Original tooled leather scabbard. Total length 11.5 inches. Good condition Old grinding and re-sharpening signs on the blade.

[Ian]

Hi Detlef,

Thanks for posting your examples. It is remarkable how consistent these knives have been in their style and manufacture. Note the one dated 1867 and how similar the others are to it. Seems that they likely came from a limited number of smiths, hilt makers, and leather workers. Perhaps an early example of industrialization.

Regards, Ian.

P.S. I was having problems again with posting to the site. I uploaded the pics again to my earlier post. The links seem to work now.

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by Ian

Thanks for posting your examples. It is remarkable how consistent these knives have been in their style and manufacture. Note the one dated 1867 and how similar the others are to it. Seems that they likely came from a limited number of smiths, hilt makers, and leather workers. Perhaps an early example of industrialization.

Hi Ian,

Yes, I also think that they come from a limited number of manufacturers. I had but sold an example from the mid. of the 20th century with plastic instead of horn and bone. And I am nearly sure that they are made until today, it's some time ago that I searched for them but there seems to be at least one person who made them still today.

Regards,
Detlef

[Sajen]

Here are some pictures of these knives from recent manufacture.
They are called "naife".

[Sajen]

And two historic pictures of Canary men wearing such a naife.

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by Ian

They are distinctive, attractive, and fairly common.

Good examples are not very common and sometimes very expensive. When they would be common I would have more in my collection!

And here a little bit more information: https://marcacanaria.com/el-naife-o-...ario-artesano/

[Ian]

Detlef, thanks for looking up all that information. The link you provided was very informative. I have copied the Google-translated text below because it has some history of the knife and how it is made. Links have habit of disappearing, hence the importance of archiving such material here.

It is interesting that the author refers to British contact, and hence the transliteration of the English word "knife" to naife to describe the Canary Island form. I believe this British contact related to trips made back and forth between England and India during the 19th C and earlier. British ships, both merchant and passenger, would stop at the Canary Islands for provisions before proceeding down the African coast and around the Cape of Good Hope into the Indian Ocean.


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The naife is, without a doubt, the star product of Canarian craftsmanship. This knife has been for centuries a basic tool for the farmer and the Canarian rancher. Today, it has become a valued decorative element from which exquisite pieces longed for by the best collectors in the world are made.

History of this work of craftsmanship

On the history and origins of the Canarian knife much has been said, but little has been studied and written. The most accepted theory is that the naife is a knife of Albacete origin modified by local artisans to meet the needs and tastes of the Canarian man dedicated to the work of the earth and, in particular, of the banana trees.

Its name is clearly derived from the word used in English to refer to a knife, "knife", the Canarian English naife would only have the name. This is because he has not found any piece of the British knife industry that can be related to the unique morphology of the Canarian knife.

Other theories relate the Canarian knife to Berber culture and the Canarian Guanches or Aboriginals. Some specialists claimed that the Canarian knife came from North Africa, but this theory has been losing weight in recent years.

The Canarian masters of the 21st century keep alive an ancestral tradition that has adapted to the new times without losing their value and cultural roots. The workshop, materials and tools have practically not changed, but the final product is used more as a decorative element, either in the form of an abbreads or miniatures, than as a tillage instrument.

The naife: how this work of craftsmanship is manufactured

El naife or Canarian knife is composed of three distinct parts. A large blade, pointed but rounded and wide in shape at the opposite end, which extends into a piece called a spike [tang], which is where the round section handle, which is called the cape [hilt], is embedded.

In the knives made for work in the field, hardened steel blades are used, while in purely decorative ones, silver or alpaca [German silver] leaves are used.

The materials for their elaboration

The materials used for the handles are the ram’s, goat, and cow’s horn, ebony, ivory, and metals such as silver, steel or alpaca. The material chosen is prepared in circular rings with different diameter that are subsequently joined to give the handle its characteristic round shape.

In these rings are made some incisions and purely decorative inlays that form the plant, chess, or geometric figures chosen by the artisan.

The elaboration of the naife

The elaboration of the naife is divided into two parts, on the one hand, the manufacture of the sheet [blade], and on the other, the elaboration of the handle. With the exception of some master knifemen who manufacture the complete knife in their workshop, it is usually that the blade is made by blacksmiths while the knifemakers are dedicated exclusively to the corporal [hilt].

The process of elaboration and ornamentation of the cape is very complex, since it is necessary to prepare circular pieces of different diameter to give it its characteristic circular shape, assemble the metal washers that join them, and make the curious inlays that make unique each artisan Canarian knife.

If you want to know more about the instruments and the Canarian craftsmanship we leave below several links that may be of your interest: The legacy of traditional Canarian ceramics; Timple, know the history of the Canarian instrument; The Canarian draft, insignia of island crafts.

[Ian]

Originally Posted by Sajen

Good examples are not very common and sometimes very expensive. When they would be common I would have more in my collection!

And here a little bit more information: https://marcacanaria.com/el-naife-o-...ario-artesano/

Hi Detlef. By common, I meant that they come up for sale fairly regularly but, as you say, the better made and older examples are less common. Recent examples, such as the ones you have shown, seem to be made from stainless steel and perhaps via stock removal rather than forging. The more recent use of plastics, rather than traditional horn and ebony for the hilt materials, detracts from their value IMHO. I have not seen a silver decorated example, but that would be a very collectible and uncommon item.

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by Ian

Hi Detlef. By common, I meant that they come up for sale fairly regularly but, as you say, the better made and older examples are less common. Recent examples, such as the ones you have shown, seem to be made from stainless steel and perhaps via stock removal rather than forging. The more recent use of plastics, rather than traditional horn and ebony for the hilt materials, detracts from their value IMHO. I have not seen a silver decorated example, but that would be a very collectible and uncommon item.

Hi Ian,
I think plastic was only common around the mid. of the 20th century, these new ones I have shown have "good" materials again, by my search I have seen that they are quite expensive.
There are also several Youtube videos which shows knaife from different maker, from Lanzerote and Gran Canaria so it seems that this craft isn't lost.
Regards,
Detlef

[Sajen]

This may be worth reading: https://www.grancanaria.com/blog/de/...eiche-klingen/