- Joined
- Nov 26, 1999
- Messages
- 127
I recently got Ahati Kylindi Iyi's two videos on African Martial Arts. In the second volume there is a brief but tantalizing glimpse of a form done with paired short falchions (sort of like siniwalli or bot cham dao techniques). What region of Africa are these paired falchion techniques from? Ahati Kylindi Iyi also demonstrates "Tchaa" techniques, where a long staff (or long spear, staff-shield, adaga, etc.) is used in the off-hand with a shorter main weapon (axe, mace, short spear, sword, etc.) in the strong hand, much like a kind of fighting described in the Viking sagas! The singlestaff techniques ("Naboot") in the video are of Arab/Egyptian origin. Here's an article on Arab and North African stickfighting: www.alliancemartialarts.com/tahtib.html
Are the "Tchaa" techniques and paired falchion techniques both also, like the "Naboot" of North African origin (particularly as the Tchaa techniques look like they would work good with an Adaga, which was a favorite Moorish/North African weapon)? If so, what are the short falchions called? The main kinds of widely used North African swords I know about are various longer curved sabres (Sayf, Shamshir, Killij, Gurade', etc.), straight longswords (Kaskarra), forward-recurved shortswords (Yataghan), and straight shortswords (Qama). Traditional fighting knives included many curved or hooked blades, often double-edged (Jambiyah, Koummiyah, Khanjar, Qujo, Gile', etc.) as well as straight daggers usually worn on the arm (Telek). None of these resembles the paired swords in the video. Though come to think of it I have seen some examples of broad curved blades of shortsword length identified as long Koummiyah or short Sayf. What do you think?
Are the "Tchaa" techniques and paired falchion techniques both also, like the "Naboot" of North African origin (particularly as the Tchaa techniques look like they would work good with an Adaga, which was a favorite Moorish/North African weapon)? If so, what are the short falchions called? The main kinds of widely used North African swords I know about are various longer curved sabres (Sayf, Shamshir, Killij, Gurade', etc.), straight longswords (Kaskarra), forward-recurved shortswords (Yataghan), and straight shortswords (Qama). Traditional fighting knives included many curved or hooked blades, often double-edged (Jambiyah, Koummiyah, Khanjar, Qujo, Gile', etc.) as well as straight daggers usually worn on the arm (Telek). None of these resembles the paired swords in the video. Though come to think of it I have seen some examples of broad curved blades of shortsword length identified as long Koummiyah or short Sayf. What do you think?