[Ian]

Originally Posted by Sajen

Sorry Ian, I disagree a little bit with you, I would say that it is Jingpo dao (Kachin), from time to time used by different Naga people but it's a pure Jingpo sword. See also here: https://www.mandarinmansion.com/glossary/lin-gin and here: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ghlight=kachin, also here: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ghlight=kachin and in this thread by #4 you stated it yourself: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ghlight=kachin

Regards,
Detlef

Hi Sajen,

Yes, the link between the old traditional Kachin (Jingpo) dao and the Naga dao is very strong. The Naga are described by Rawson as an "iron poor" ethnic group. He cites this as a reason for them stealing British made hoes from plantations to make their traditional long handled dao (not the sword dao of this discussion). In fact, the Naga were not very good at making conventional knives and swords. They probably never made the sword dao (shown here) and obtained this type of sword from the Kachin/Jingpo.

The Kachin almost totally ceased making this type of dao in the 1870s (according to Hanson) and switched to a slimmer Shan dha with a squared end because it was cheaper and more readily available. The change over was virtually complete by 1880-1890 (again, according to Hanson*) with some of the older style still in use, especially in more remote areas, even into the mid-20th C.

So, it's a question of attribution—whether you assign this sword to the maker or the likely user. I agree with your dating and likely Kachin/Jingpo manufacture, but I think it was most likely used by a Naga for reasons already noted.

Also, this sword came from an Indian collection, and I think the original collector would be more likely to have acquired it in India if it came from the Indian NE Frontier rather than the highlands of Burma/China. But that's just speculation.


* "The true Kachin sword is now rarely seen south of Myitkyina and Mogaung. The Shan article is in common use." O. Hanson. The Kachin: their customs and traditions. 1913, p. 47.