Small Silver Dha
 

This is for the dha freaks........er.........the dahfia. :D

I got this dha which is small but to scale and perfect in detail and construction. No laminated blade. One friend thinks it could have been made for a woman. One of the pictures shows that it is about 12.5 inches (also in cm). What could you kind folks tell me about it?

Thanks in advance.

Hello Jose. Nice looking little dha-hmyaung you have there :) This type of silver sword is a decorative type for ceremonials and festivals. You often see the men carrying the full length version during festival dances or along with specially occasions as a part of their traditional costume. The sword being a symbol for the male in Kachin society, maybe this little version was more likely for a Kachin boy?? This is not to say that Kachin women do not handle knives, but more utility/cooking knives...but maybe since the Kachin are known as fighters the women also carry a small knife as well? I know a Hmong friend who slept with a knife under her pillow because her grandmother had blessed it to protect her from bad dreams/ spirits!

Here are a few festival pictures I've found:

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s...20dha/ndak.jpg

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s...n%20dha/64.jpg

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s...0dha/148_o.jpg

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s...a/kachin-1.jpg

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s...achin_1843.jpg

Also here is a picture of a Shan Man with a very small knife on his waist:
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s...gs_shanman.jpg

And here is a picture of a small narrow dha-hmyaung I have:

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s...a/DSC_0074.jpg

Thank you Nathaniel. Very informative.

So this might not be a ceremonial dha dagger for a man?

or maybe a boy :)

I bought a couple of knives like that up in Lashio. The Kachins said they were boy's blades.

The larger n thu (swords) in the pictures these days are "wedding" swords. At the marriage ceremony, the wife get a ring and the woman give the man a n htu and a n hpye (shoulder bag) like those in the pictures. However, shoulder bags are carried and used by everyone, both men and women. I've got at least four of them myself.