Jile

Jile
Jile
Type	Dagger
Place of origin	Horn of Africa (Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Eritrea)
Specifications
Blade type	double-edged curved blade

The Jile, also known as a Gile in Afar language, in Somali known as Qolxad, is a type of dagger with a long curved blade used by the Somali and Afar people found in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Eritrea. Unique to the Horn of Africa, it is the most famous and characteristic of Afar and Somali daggers. It can be made from a variety of different materials, depending on the quality of its craftsmanship.^[2] A national symbol of the republic, the Jile-Qolxad is featured on Djibouti's national emblem and on the Djiboutian franc.

Names

The dagger is known as Jile or Gile in Afar and Qolxad in Somali.

Overview

The jile is a curved dagger ranging in length from 30 centimetres (12 in) to more than 50 centimetres (20 in). The handle is typically made of wood or more rarely from buffalo or rhinoceros horn. The pommel often ends with three teeth of bronze, zinc or silver. The middle tooth is the most prominent. The double-edged blade is shaped like an asymmetrical leaf and today is typically made from salvaged metal, usually iron or steel from broken car and truck springs.^[1] The sheath is made of wood wrapped in leather, though it can sometimes have brass plates attached near the handle. The sheath always has an extra long tip, sometimes embellished with metal upholstery that can have an enlarged knob on the end. The sheath is worn on a belt around the waist and attached to the belt with a circular or square buckle or more rarely sown on.^[1] The dagger's handle often indicates the social status of the person who wears it. The concave side of the blade is used to cut.^[2]

Use

It is commonly used in traditional events, such as dances, though it is still a weapon and has been used in times of dispute. However, there are societal and Islamic norms that must be followed in order to avoid defamation. The Qolxad or Jile should only come out of its sheath in extreme cases of conflict.^[3]

The jile is an integral part of being an Afar and Somali nomad in the Horn of Africa. It is one of the indispensable paraphernalia of the nomad. It serves as both a weapon of self-defense, useful object, and adornment that is the pride of the nomadic warrior and is also considered a symbol of virility.^{[citation needed]} The jile is used to slaughter sheep, carve wood, and cut hair.^[1] Craftsmen or blacksmiths of traditional knives have long been a highly respected trade but have also been a symbol of the artisanal heritage of Djibouti.^{[citation needed]}

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Spring, Christopher (1993). African arms and armour. British Museum Press. pp. 103–105.
^ ^a ^b "QOLXAD-GILE". djiboutinet. 2009.
^ Hubbard, Nyla Jo Jones (2011). Doctors Without Borders in Ethiopia: Among the Afar. Algora Publishing. ISBN 9780875868530.

[Spring-1] Spring, Christopher (1993). African arms and armour. British Museum Press. pp. 103–105.

[Qolxad-Jile-2] "QOLXAD-GILE". djiboutinet. 2009.

[Jile-3] Hubbard, Nyla Jo Jones (2011). Doctors Without Borders in Ethiopia: Among the Afar. Algora Publishing. ISBN 9780875868530.

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v t e Knives and daggers
List of daggers List of blade materials
Kitchen and table knives	Boning Boti Bread knife Butcher knife Butter knife Caidao Cheese knife Chef's knife Cleaver Electric knife Fillet knife Grapefruit knife Lame Mezzaluna Parmesan knife Pizza cutter Splayd Steak knife Tomato knife Japanese kitchen knives Deba bōchō Maguro bōchō Nakiri bōchō Santoku Sashimi bōchō Udon kiri Unagisaki hōchō Usuba bōchō Yanagi ba
Other knives	Aircrew Survival Egress Knife Athame Balisong/Butterfly Ballistic Ballpoint pen knife Bayonet Boline Bolo Boot knife Bowie Cane knife Ceramic knife Clip point Combat knife Commander Corvo CQC-6 Deba bōchō Diving knife Drop point Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife Gerber Mark II Ginsu Golok Gravity knife Guna Hacking knife Higonokami Hunting knife Husa knife Ivan's Knife Jacob's ladder Karambit Kard Kirpan Kitchen knife Kukri Laguiole knife Machete Mandau Marking knife Misericorde Mora knife Multi-tool Navaja Neck knife Nontron knife Opinel knife Palette knife Pantographic knife Parang Penknife Penny knife Pesh-kabz Pirah Pocketknife Phurba Putty knife Puukko Rampuri Resolza Sabatier Sami knife SARK Scalpel Seax Sgian dubh Sharpfinger Sheath knife Shiv Sliding knife Smatchet SOG Knife Straight razor Strider SMF Survival knife Swiss Army knife Switchblade Taping knife Throwing knife Trench knife Tumi Ulu Utility knife Verlängerungsmesser Warrior knife Wedung X-Acto Yarara Parachute Knife Yatagan
Daggers	Anelace Applegate–Fairbairn fighting knife Arkansas toothpick BC-41 Bagh nakh Balarao Baselard Bichuwa Bollock dagger Cinquedea Dha Dirk Ear dagger Emeici Facón French Nail Gunong Hunting dagger Jambiya Jile Kabutowari Kaiken Kalis Katar Khanjali Khanjar Kris Kunai Liaoning dagger Mark I trench knife Microtech Jagdkommando Parrying dagger Poignard Pugio Push dagger Rondel dagger Seme Shobo Sica Stiletto Tantō U.S. Marine Raider stiletto V-42 Yoroi-dōshi
Manufacturers	Aitor Knife Company Al Mar Knives American Tomahawk Company Aritsugu Benchmade Böker Buck Knives Camillus Cutlery Company Cattaraugus Cutlery Company Chris Reeve Knives Chroma Cnife Clauss Cutlery Company Cobray Company Cold Steel Columbia River Knife & Tool Cuisinart Cutco Dalian Hanwei Metal Dexter-Russell Ek Commando Knife Co. EKA Emerson Knives F. Dick Fällkniven FAMAE Fiskars Gerber Legendary Blades Füritechnics Glock Ges.m.b.H. Imperial Schrade Ivan's Ka-Bar Kershaw Knives KitchenAid Korin Japanese Trading Company Kyocera Leatherman Mad Dog Knives Marble Arms Medford Knife and Tool Microtech Knives Morseth Muela Murphy Knives OLFA Ontario Knife Company Opinel Randall Made Knives Ranz Cuchillos Rösle Sabatier Shun Cutlery Slice, Inc. SOG Specialty Knives Spyderco STI Knives Strider Knives Thiers Issard TOPS Knives Tramontina Victorinox W. R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co. Carl Walther GmbH Wenger Western Knife Company Wilkinson Sword Wüsthof Yoshida Metal Industry Global Zero Tolerance Knives Zwilling J. A. Henckels
Knifemakers	Rex Applegate James Black Tom Brown Jr. Blackie Collins John Nelson Cooper Jack W. Crain Ernest Emerson Jerry Fisk Bill Harsey Jr. Phill Hartsfield Gil Hibben Jimmy Lile Bob Loveless William F. Moran Ken Onion Ralph Osterhout Bo Randall Chris Reeve A. G. Russell Jody Samson William Scagel Mike Snody Robert Terzuola Michael Walker Buster Warenski Daniel Winkler
Associations	American Bladesmith Society Cutlery and Allied Trades Research Association Knifemakers' Guild
Category:Knives / Daggers

Names

Overview

Use

See also

References