Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - A Burmese Short Dha With Its Own Obvious Provenance

CharlesS · 11th August 2016, 09:13 PM

Here is nice Burmese dha(dah-see inscription) short sword given as a gift or presentation sword to a British officer, Col. T.H. Way, in early 1887. The hilt essentially tells the story(see pics) in both English and Burmese.

I have not seen a presentation dha done in this manner before. More commonly the presentation info will be on one or two cartouches, typically of silver or on a fine all silver scabbard.

I have not been able to find out more about the two mentioned personalities, T.H. Way or Moung San Ya.

Background info:
Apparently, from what I can gather, Salen is a Chin(large ethnic group) village. The British began their administration of Burma in 1876, shortly before this dha was given as a gift. The Chin Hills Regulation Act of 1876 allowed the Chins a unique relationship with the British that saw Chin chiefs remain in power and relatively independent. This may well contribute to the story of this dha. This arrangement with Chin chiefs continued until Burmese independence in 1948.

Dimensions:
Overall length: 24.5in.
Blade length: 16.25in.
Blade's widest point: just over 1in.

11th August 2016, 09:13 PM	#1
CharlesS Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Greenville, NC Posts: 1,855	A Burmese Short Dha With Its Own Obvious Provenance Here is nice Burmese dha(dah-see inscription) short sword given as a gift or presentation sword to a British officer, Col. T.H. Way, in early 1887. The hilt essentially tells the story(see pics) in both English and Burmese. I have not seen a presentation dha done in this manner before. More commonly the presentation info will be on one or two cartouches, typically of silver or on a fine all silver scabbard. I have not been able to find out more about the two mentioned personalities, T.H. Way or Moung San Ya. Background info: Apparently, from what I can gather, Salen is a Chin(large ethnic group) village. The British began their administration of Burma in 1876, shortly before this dha was given as a gift. The Chin Hills Regulation Act of 1876 allowed the Chins a unique relationship with the British that saw Chin chiefs remain in power and relatively independent. This may well contribute to the story of this dha. This arrangement with Chin chiefs continued until Burmese independence in 1948. Dimensions: Overall length: 24.5in. Blade length: 16.25in. Blade's widest point: just over 1in. Attached Images Last edited by CharlesS; 11th August 2016 at 09:34 PM.