Seme (dagger) explained

A seme,^{[1] [2]} simi or ol alem^[3] is a type of dagger or short sword used by the Maasai and Kikuyu peoples of Kenya in East Africa.^{[4] [5]} They have a distinctive leaf-shaped blade, with a relatively rounded point. Scabbards are generally made of wood covered with rawhide, and dyed red.

See also

• List of daggers

Further reading

• George Cameron Stone, Donald J. LaRocca, A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms and Armor: in All Countries and in All Times, Verlag Courier Dover Publications, 1999,
• Nick Evangelista: The encyclopedia of the sword, Verlag Greenwood Publishing Group, 1995,

Notes and References

1. http://www.connectingcultures.us/resources/artifacts/art_item.php?accno1=COST&accno2=KEN&accno3=531 "Kenyan Maasai "Ol Alem" "
2. http://www.vikingsword.com/lew/w0023/w0023.html "African Masai Seme (Ol Alem)"
3. http://www.higgins-collection.org/artifacts/1618 "Ol alem (sword)"
4. http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30001263 "Kikuyu simi with scabbard"
5. Book: Stone, George Cameron . A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration, and Use of Arms and Armor in All Countries and in All Times: In All Countries and in All Times . George Cameron Stone. LaRocca, Donald J. . 1999 . Dover Publications . 978-0-486-40726-5 . 547 . 2008-12-29 .