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Originally Posted by ausjulius
yes they are decorative items. you can still purchase giant dah,
you see them in amulet shops now and then, they are of a more conventional style.
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ausjulius:
Do these swords found today also have the massive ivory hilt and silver fittings? It seems that they would have been expensive items when made.
Do you think there is any truth to the claim made on the Michael Blackman web site that these were distributed to Lanna military officers for use when mounted on elephants? That site quotes Conway (2002) as a reference for this use, and it seems that there is one of these swords in a museum in Chiang Mai that may support such a claim.
Ian.
Conway, S. Silken Threads Lacquer Thrones: Lan Na Court Textiles, River Books: Bangkok, 2002.