Agreed--Burmese. Looks like early 20th century to me.
As for the handle material, 'Nando, can't really tell from that photo. My inclination is bamboo.
More specifically, I believe this sword is Kachin (Jingpaw) and related/derived from that ethnic group's dao:
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ghlight=kachin
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ghlight=kachin