Ethnographic Arms & Armour - HuSa dha with brass-covered hilt and scabbard

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At first glance one might be forgiven in thinking this dha is a brass-covered version of a common Shan silver-covered dha pattern: the lotus pommel; the hilt segmented by a raised ring; the segmented scabbard in panels with a flared and flat toe. The profile of this sword is quite similar to Shan work.

However, closer inspection shows important differences. The hilt lacks the filigree work typical of Shan silver-covered dha. The base of the hilt also lacks the flared "bell" often seen on Shan dha, as shown here:

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A Shan silver-mounted pattern (Peter Dekker--posted on this site)

The brass-covered scabbard of this sword lacks any filigree work, and the brass panels are not pierced (as found on most Shan work). The panels are embossed with dragons, which are clearly Chinese motifs.

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The blade contributes further to the Chinese nature of this sword. The blade has little curvature and the edge approaches the tip quite abruptly. A single fuller appears on each side that runs part of the way along the blade. The fullers are uneven in width and have not been executed expertly, but are consistent with a Chines pattern seen on some dao. To my knowledge, these fullers do not occur on other dha/daab.

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There is a radiating star struck at forte and a Chinese inscription contained between two curved brackets and other symbols. I don't read Chinese, but there appears to be two separate inscriptions, a short one that is partially blurred by patina, and a longer one. I believe the inscription contains the Chinese characters for "Hu" and "Sa," indicating the HuSa people of southern Yunnan. [Perhaps one of our members familiar with written Chinese can read these inscriptions and translate them here.]

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Towards the tip is an inset brass dot with radiating rays of brass. There are two rows of "arrowhead" marks incised into the blade and pointing towards the tip.

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I have owned several similar dha with Chinese markings (including the HuSa inscription). The blades have varied in shape, from straight to saber form. Some have had brass inlay decorations. One had numerous hunting scenes in inlaid brass. A couple had brass dots similar to that found on this one. Marks at forte have included the running tiger mark and a rifle.

This sword is the first I have encountered with a brass covered hilt and scabbard. The others mostly had three-part Shan/Burmese hilts with brass "bells" top and bottom and a central area covered by wire mesh over wood or plain wood.

The HuSa reside in the Achang area of southern Yunnan and are neighbors of the Shan.