A Rare Sahelian Arm Dagger

  • A Rare Sahelian Arm Dagger

  • A Rare Sahelian Arm Dagger

  • A Rare Sahelian Arm Dagger

  • A Rare Sahelian Arm Dagger

  • A Rare Sahelian Arm Dagger

  • A Rare Sahelian Arm Dagger

  • A Rare Sahelian Arm Dagger

  • A Rare Sahelian Arm Dagger

  • A Rare Sahelian Arm Dagger

A Rare Sahelian Arm Dagger
Hausa - Kanembu - Fulani - Kotoko - Kanuri - Shuwa - Bagirmi - Bargo - Masalit - Dajo - Tunjur - Fur
Borno Emirate - Ouaddaï Sultanate - Sultanate of Darfur (Northeast Nigeria - Northern Cameroon - Southern Half of Chad - Darfur, Sudan)
Last half 19th century (ca. 1860 - 1890)
Steel, rhinoceros horn, crocodile skin, leather
Blade: 29,5cm
Hilt & Blade: 39,4cm
Hilt, Blade, Sheath: 39,4cm
Collection Date: 2024
Collection Number: 406

A rare type of Sahelian arm dagger that is very likely coming from Chad with strong influences from the Nigerian Borno Emirate, Chad's Ouaddaï Sultanate, and Sudan’s Sultanate of Darfur. It exhibits mixed characteristics of this whole region, where the main trans-saharan trade route extended from Tripoli - Borno - Ouaddaï - Omdurman - Red Sea, along this ancient road. During this time period, massive slave raids from the Arab sultanates stretched deep into the Southern areas of Oubangui- Chari, South Sudan, and the Congo. Kukawa was the capital of Borno (post 1814) and was the Southern terminal of this route to Tripolitania. An estimated 2 million slaves passed through this road during the 19th century. Another regional route was Ouddaï- Benghazi. Ouddaï became the dominant regional power in the East- Central Chad Basin toward the end of the 19th century, absorbing neighboring Sultanates such as Borno-Kanem and Bagirmi while still competing with the Darfur Sultanate. Craftsmen and wealth were brought into the capital and the Sultanate flourished from royal trade caravans of military weaponry from the Maghreb, exotic animals, ivory, and slaves along the route. The eventual demise of Ouddaï came sbout from devastating raids of Rabih az- Zuayr, the Sudanese warlord and slave trader from the east, and the encroaching colonial French powers from the West.

The straight steel blade is double- edged with a medial ridge tapering to a point. A pair of fullers follow the edge of the blade with very precise linear zig-zag and dot decorations. Finely carved rhinoceros horn hilt with a crescent shaped pommel with colorations of light and dark browns with fibrous structure. One side with old breakage, now unsymmetrical. Shaped three rings on the central grip. Recent damage to one side of the hilt. The sheath is crocodile skin and tooled leather with stamped designs. Braided leather arm loop. There are interlaced stitchings in green, also seen on Hausa arm daggers. The last 1 1/2" of the sheath tip is missing.

A very old example with information and research scarce of the type. Despite the considerable damage, it remains a rare example of arm dagger from the Sahel, very similar but distinct from Sudanese types. Included are references of similar forms of daggers from the whole region to compare. A very interesting knife.

Photograph 10: A Foulblé cavalier of Tchad, French Equatorial Africa.