WHITE RUSSIAN DAGGER

This khanjali dagger was presented to French General Henri Gouraud by a White Russian officer who joined the French following nationalist defeat in the Civil War. With its origins in Georgia and the Caucasus, the double-edged khanjali was traditionally worn by Don Cossacks. Their militaristic culture and long history of service to Russia’s emperors made them instinctively loyal to the Tsarist regime and a natural source of manpower for the White Army, and the Don Cossack host joined the White cause in 1919.