N. Indian Hammer Flail

Nihl · 3rd June 2023, 05:22 PM

Hi Tim, I think you are spot on about this being from the late 19th century. However, because of that, I think it's important to keep in mind that any Indian "weapons" coming from that time period are rarely intended to actually function as such, and are instead near exclusively made for tourists. Consistent bans on weapon making and the practicing of martial arts by the british severely reduced local production of real weapons to only a handful of permitted princely states (most famously those in Rajasthan). As such, most of what was produced in this period was intended to appeal to colonial tourists; seen as "curiosa" that could be potentially added to their personal collection back home. Nowadays I've seen the term "historismus" used to describe these items that vaguely resemble native weapons, but were really intended for display and tourist consumption.

I don't mean to be too harsh in my notes here, or "take the wind out of your sails" as they say, but I think it really is important to have a realistic understanding of these "weapons".

3rd June 2023, 05:22 PM	#3
Nihl Member Join Date: Feb 2018 Posts: 87	Hi Tim, I think you are spot on about this being from the late 19th century. However, because of that, I think it's important to keep in mind that any Indian "weapons" coming from that time period are rarely intended to actually function as such, and are instead near exclusively made for tourists. Consistent bans on weapon making and the practicing of martial arts by the british severely reduced local production of real weapons to only a handful of permitted princely states (most famously those in Rajasthan). As such, most of what was produced in this period was intended to appeal to colonial tourists; seen as "curiosa" that could be potentially added to their personal collection back home. Nowadays I've seen the term "historismus" used to describe these items that vaguely resemble native weapons, but were really intended for display and tourist consumption. I don't mean to be too harsh in my notes here, or "take the wind out of your sails" as they say, but I think it really is important to have a realistic understanding of these "weapons".