Gilê
Gilê
Somali Clans (Dir, Issa, Isaaq) - Afar
Italian Eritrea (Eritrea) - French Somaliland (Djibouti) - British Somaliland (Somaliland) - Abyssinia (Northern Ethiopia)
Second quarter of the 20th century (ca. 1925 - 1945)
Steel, horn, aluminum, leather, iron
Blade: 27,3cm
Hilt & Blade: 36,8cm
Hilt, Blade, Sheath: 38,7cm
Collection Date: 2020
Collection Number: 126
Ex. US Art Market (2020)
A rare dagger, jile, or gilê in Afar, from the coastal region of the Red Sea in the Horn of Africa used by the Somali clans and Afar alike. The double- edged curved steel blade has three central grooved fullers for approximately 1/2 blade's length. The remaining 1/2 has a slightly raised medial ridge that tapers into a sharp acute point. The blade is made from a sharpening file showing cross- hatched patterns throughout.
Three piece hilt carved from sections of horn, segmented by aluminum spacers and a pommel plate. The horn shows very fine- grained fibers of differentiating hues. The hide sheath has the original belt attached with an iron buckle. A very good and complete village grade gilê, dating to around World War II due to the aluminum material used.
[1] Spring, Christopher. 1993. “African Arms and Armor”. Page 104 -105
[2] https://prm.ox.ac.uk/collections-online#/item/prm-object-70727
[3] https://africanarms.com/gallery.html?afar-jile-30-5-cm
[4] https://africanarms.com/gallery.html?afar-jile-dagger-36-5-cm