Ian, thank you so very much for such a quick and incredibly detailed answer !!!
I knew you were 'dha' man for knowledge on these
I must admit that while I have studied weapons most of my life, certain areas have eluded me, and SE Asia is one. Many years back I tried to delve into the arcane world of the dha, but quite honestly, it seems there was very little on them in specific. Mostly there were cursory notes here and there among other arms literature but nothing definitive.
I think Carter Rila wrote a brief article about a zillion years ago, but that was it.
As I say, I've had this and I think two others for about 20 yrs but never went further into their history. It means a lot to have this kind of explanation, and fascinating history on the Shan as well. You have not only educated me on this example, but piqued my interest in this field.
Again, thank you for your fantastic response!
Very best,
Jim