Quote:
Originally Posted by OakenStaff
Hello, all.
Does anyone know what the chisel edge on the Naga sword daos was for? Why have it over a normal double equal bevel edge? Was it somehow specialized for decapitation?
And also, I have had some confusion about the Naga and Kachin peoples. Were they one and the same? Were they different? How did the weapons of these two differ, if they were different?
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naga are tribal headhunters with quite a different culture from the Kachin or jingpo, the jingpo native swords look like the husa/achang ect the have an open faced sheath but are more like a burmese dha.
the reason i beleive you see many jingpo or kachin people with naga swords is that the two groups trade and the jingpo/kachin are buying swords and selling swords., in many areas the cohabit with other ethnic groups and will see them using swords from these groups..
i see that quite afew jingpo/kachin sdwords do have a single bevel even when they are not naga style. i would say this is due to naga influence on their metal working as the nagas trade to them swords,
in areas with a majority jingpo populaiton the single bevel is not present
watcht his video you can see naga, husa and more burmese styles swrods bing used all at the same time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjM7IUd5jIo
id say their native swords are probably these metal topped dha tyle of swords with metal bands on the sehat.. it seems to be their real native style
https://www.sohu.com/a/224845889_128114
this article states that jingpo/kachin like the husa knives and based on the video it seems they really do like them. as i see as mang naga and husa blades as i do jingpo/kachin weapons in that short video.
the reason for the single bevel is hard to say 100% there is a number of single beveled knife and sword making cultures in this world.. there is 4 reaosns generally..
1- for cutting or splitting banboo and springy plants,
2- for working and levelling wood
3- for shaving or slicing or scraping mateirals closely.
4- no reason just asthetic
the single bevel on the naga swords probably comes form them using it to clear close to the ground strubs and bamboo and to slip slivers of bamboo. it will bite and not skip up.. if you use the same shape of bevel to cut a large tree you will hate it.. but for springy items it works well as it bites in better than a double bevel.
the naga long handled cleavers are both single and double bevel depending on the use.
sdome other cultures that use single beveled knives and sords are -
the mainland taiwanese aboriginal groups.
the japanesse for some swords, most spears and most knives and tools.
some part sof china,, especially around fujian mostly on kitchen knives and billhooks. although soem swords with be single beveled too
the buryat mongols.. for some knives only,
the yakutians for everyting including swords, glaives, spears ect. soem swords are quite massive but still single beveled..
the nenets for some knvies.
komi poeple for some knives.
the eskimo.
the Athabaskan people of alaska and canada for daggers and ulus.. their daggers are all one beveled on one side.
mongur people- for belt knives only
balinese for most knives and some swords.
peopel of lombok (sasak) people for some knives
nagas for swords swords other tools
the dayaks for most small knives and many swords ,.
all vasayan ethinc gorups in the philippines.
there is probably others i have missed.
in europe it is unushal and normally confined to bullhooks but some regions in billhooks it is very common like northern france. i have many french billhooks with a single bevel
in the uk in soem regions it was more popular but other areas like germany unushal.
the most common example fo a european militaryt sword with a single bevel is the bazaar Austrian M1869 sabre.
ther eis also game wardens swords and military pioneers hangers that are heavy single beveled bladed tools for the 18th and 19th century. these again work great to cut steaks and to split and level wood. and are probably influenced by billhooks fo this tyle.. austria and russia had a love on such off blade profiles. the russian empire even issued them to game wardens.
it is odd.
single bevel knives in genera seem strange to westeners. i do wounder if there is more european examples