Takoba (also ''takuba'' or ''takouba'') is the

sword A sword is an edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter blade with a pointed ti ...

that is used across the western

Sahel The Sahel (; ar, ساحل ' , "coast, shore") is a region in North Africa. It is defined as the ecoclimatic and biogeographic realm of transition between the Sahara to the north and the Sudanian savanna to the south. Having a hot semi-arid cli ...

and among ethnic groups such as the

Tuareg The Tuareg people (; also spelled Twareg or Touareg; endonym: ''Imuhaɣ/Imušaɣ/Imašeɣăn/Imajeɣăn'') are a large Berber ethnic group that principally inhabit the Sahara in a vast area stretching from far southwestern Libya to southern Al ...

, the

Hausa Hausa may refer to: * Hausa people, an ethnic group of West Africa * Hausa language, spoken in West Africa * Hausa Kingdoms, a historical collection of Hausa city-states * Hausa (horse) or Dongola horse, an African breed of riding horse See also ...

, and the

Fulani The Fula, Fulani, or Fulɓe people ( ff, Fulɓe, ; french: Peul, links=no; ha, Fulani or Hilani; pt, Fula, links=no; wo, Pël; bm, Fulaw) are one of the largest ethnic groups in the Sahel and West Africa, widely dispersed across the region. ...

. It usually measures about one meter in length. Takoba blades are straight and double edged with a pronounced tapering from the guard towards the tip; they can exhibit several notable features, including three or more hand-ground fuller grooves and a rounded point. Since the Tuareg have an aversion to touching iron, the takoba's hilt, like many iron implements, is fully covered. Typically the simple but deep crossguard is of iron sheet, or iron-framed wood, covered in tooled leather, and occasionally sheathed in brass or silver; the grip is also often leather-covered but the pommel is always of metal, often brass or copper, sometimes iron or silver.Spring, p. 30 Alternatively the whole hilt can be covered in brass or silver sheathing. The scabbard is made of elaborately tooled leather. Geographical variations in the form of the hilt have been noted, but no rigorous typology has been established. Variations in the quality of blade and fittings on takobas probably mostly reflect the wealth of their owners. There is much debate about whether the takoba was used only by the ''imúšaɣ'' or warrior class or whether it could be borne by vassals. As with most crafted items used by the Tuareg, takoba are crafted by the ''ìnhædʻæn'' (singular ''énhædʻ'') caste, who are of a different ethnicity from the ''imúšaɣ'' and speak ''Ténet'', a secret language. The ''imúšaɣ'' believe that the ''ìnhædʻæn'' have magical powers, which some theorize to be associated with their traditional roles as metalworkers and to the ''imúšaɣ'' aversion to both metalworking and touching iron.

References

Bibliography

*Christopher Spring (1993) ''African Arms and Armor'', Smithsonian Institution Press,

External links

* http://www.vikingsword.com/ethsword/takouba/ * http://takouba.org
image of a takouba sword in the British Museum
Blade weapons African swords Tuareg {{Sword-stub