Beaded Double-Blade, Haladie
Mahdist, Darfur region, Sudan
Iron, wood, glass beads, vegetal fiber
Late 19th century

This knife is known as haladie, a dagger with two short, curved blades connected by a single bone handle. Haladies are associated with the Rajput, or warrior caste, of India, and they share many similarities with the ancient Maduvu, a dagger made from two black buck horns protruding in opposite directions from a small leather or iron shield.

The design of the knife was possibly transported to the Sudan through ancient trade routes stretching from the Malabar coast to North Africa. Another possibility is that the knife style arrived in the Sudan during the Sudanese Mahdi State’s rebellion against an invading Great Britain between 1881-1899. 

The blades are covered in illegible pseudo-script that resembles Thuluth and Kufic. The Sudanese haladie are believed to be symbols of military, political, or cultural power, rather than objects made for functional use (“Knife,” American Museum of Natural History, 90.2 / 6422A).  

The beaded strands on this example are somewhat loose and fragmentary. A bead falls off the sheath every time you pick it up. However, the blade is quite stable and attractive with the sheaths removed. 

20 in :: 51 cm

InventoryID #13-2227

SOLD