What do I have here - Thailand or Indonesia/Malaysia?
 

The hilt looks familiar but I can’t quite place it. Seller photos. No scabbard unfortunately. Appreciate the help, I’m sure there is a post on the forum with a similar example.

My guess would be Philippines but it's admittedly not based on much, just the overall look.

Congrats, you have something very rare there, have a look here: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...hlight=tengger
How long is it? Do I see it correct, 72 cm? My one is 54,5 cm.

Regards,
Detlef

Thanks Detlef! Excellent information. The sword came today, the length is about 56 cm so very close to your example. Posting photos below, along with a north Thailand or Burma dha from the same seller.

Thanks werecow! I has the same thoughts but there was something about the hilt that threw me off.

The knife came today, photos below. The accompanying dha (I believe from north Thailand or Burma) is not old but it’s nicely made. The maker is interesting, to me it looks like a Mauser C96!

WW,

The hilt on your dha is a typical Burmese, three-section design. The blade, however, is most likely to have been made by the HuSa people in the Achang area of southern Yunnan. While I have not seen the Mauser stamp before, they do have blades with a Winchester rifle or a Colt revolver stamp. Hard to judge the age of this piece. Perhaps WWII era. Nice find. We have other threads showing HuSa dha and blade stamps. Please post a full length picture of the dha after you receive it.

Regards,

Ian

Thanks! Here are full length photos of the dha.

Thanks WW. I was expecting to see a squared off end or even a concave tip. I think there is a high likelihood that this sword was made for sale to the Kachin.

In the 1870s and 1880s there was a transition among the Kachin from a Naga style dao to a square-ended sword. Most of the latter were provided by Shan craftsmen. Scott suggested that this was an economic decision. The Shan and HuSa people are closely linked geographically and politically, so I am not surprised to see a blade of this style bearing a HuSa stamp and probably intended for the Kachin market.

Relationships between the Shan and Kachin have been close with respect to trade and at times politically. They are both ethnic minorities living largely in Burma (Myanmar). The relationship and cooperation between the Kachin and Shan was strong during WWII and both groups assisted in the fight against Japanese forces.

Your dha could be from the WWII period.

Regards, Ian