Mandinka Sword
Mandinka People
French West African Region - The Gambia Colony and Protectorate (The Gambia) - French Guinea (Guinea) - Portuguese Guinea (Guinea) - French Sudan (Mali) - Senegambia ( Senegal - Gambia) - Ivory Coast
Late 19th - Early 20th century (ca. 1890 - 1910)
Steel, leather, brass
Blade: 64,8cm
Hilt & Blade: 79,4cm
Hilt, Blade, Sheath: 81,2cm
Collection Date: 2022
Collection Number: 281

One type of sword of the Mandinka People spanning the vast region of West Africa. The example here with a single- edged steel blade of European origin, likely French or English, with an unidentified stamp (upward arrow) on the ricasso. Single, broad fuller spanning 3/4 length of the sword. Decorative tooled leather wrapped hilt with a stacked brass bulbous pommel. Decorative tooled leather sheath with braided leatherworked tassels.

• Fischer, Werner. Zirngibl, Manfred. “African Weapons”. 1978. Page 22, Cat. 20

• Spring, Christopher. “African Arms and Armor”. 1993. Page 40 (Info.)

• http://oriental-arms.co.il/item.php?id=2357

• http://oriental-arms.co.il/item.php?id=815

• https://www.quaibranly.fr/en/explore-collections/base/Work/action/show/notice/234488-sabre/page/77/

• https://www.quaibranly.fr/en/explore-collections/base/Work/action/show/notice/367982-sabre-et-son-fourreau/page/11/

• http://www.africanarms.com/gallery?mandingo-sabre-82-cm

• http://vikingsword.com/lew/w0108/w0108.html

• https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/316828

• http://web.prm.ox.ac.uk/weapons/index.php/tour-by-region/africa/africa/arms-and-armour-africa-26/index.html

• https://oriental-arms.com/product/fine-sword-of-the-manding-mandingo-west-sahara-2/

• http://oriental-arms.co.il/item.php?id=8192