Northern Thai priest knife
 

Now that's I've in Chiang Mai for several months, I'm gradually learning more about this stuff. I like this knife quite a bit. The up-curved handle is an indication that a knife was ceremonial rather than for utility use. The covered-eyes figure is Phra Pid Da which literally means "lord no-see", the Buddha shutting out the sensory world. These carved handle knives are getting difficult to find, I've only found one dealer around here that has any of them. The plain bone, horn, and ivory handles are much more common -- least rare seem to be the Shan/Burmese knives and swords with the plain handles and silver-clad scabbards, which I've seen in a few shops and markets. If anyone has any carved handle knives for sale, please let me know. Even newer reproductions are interesting to me if the craftsmanship is high quality & the price is right.