Code: AN 14
The Takuba sword is one of the only traditional weapons still carried by Tuareg men, and it has connotations and meanings that go beyond its utility. Today, the Tuareg wear swords and daggers mainly on special occasions and at festivals. A sword, given to a young man soon after he reaches puberty, represents nobility and courage.
This antique Takuba has the attributes of this distinctive class of sword. The blade is sharpened on either side but rounded at the tip. The leather-covered hilts and handle are topped by a decorative brass and iron pommel.
Blade is 31.25 inches. Over-all length is 36.75 inches.
The tooled leather of the scabbard shows worn remains of the decorative green leather trim that was once the prerogative of Tuareg nobility. The scabbard hangs easily from tooled leather straps. The shoulder strap is strips of hand-woven indigo-dyed cotton.
This sword is in good antique condition, and shows wear from years of use. The blade slides easily and hold snugly in the sheath, and everything is strong and solid.
Read more about the Tuareg tribe of Northern Africa.
The Tuareg hang sheathed swords from their shoulders or wear them low at their hips. This leather and metal scabbard is decorated with cutwork and stamped, pierced and engraved designs. The takuba has been adopted for wear by prosperous men of numerous ethnic groups in Sudanic Africa. The smiths, “Ineden”, who make and mount these swords are predominantly of Negroid Sudanic African ancestry, and form a separate caste which has its own secret language “ténet”. Members of the blacksmith caste do not intermarry with the Tuaregs and are often regarded as possessing dark mystic powers.
"A Tuareg in Bilma. For more than 3,000 years, the Tuareg were known as the bandits of the Ténéré, robbing camel caravans as they headed across the void."
Resources