Hi all,
I’m new to the list, but coming from Sri Lanka and for long involved in the study of Sinhala weapons I may be able to add to the discussion. first “Piha” (kandyan dialect) or “Pihiya” (Low country dialect) referrers to a knife in general. “Ketta” includes many forms of incurved blades. The knives generally referred to as “Piha-ketta” consists of a wide range of knives from utility knives to specialized scribes knives with the “ul-katuwa” or “panhinda” included and actual side arms, The ornamentation varies between the ones used by commoners and ones used by nobility. many may have been multipurpose in use. As far as I know the true weapons are the “Kirichchi” types which are narrow straight blades.
From the evidence available it seem that the “piha-ketta” knives originate at least by mid 16th Century possibly earlier. In my opinion the finest worked knives are the older types; the latter works show a steady degradation of finesse in line with most other Sinhala art-forms under the British occupation in 18th and 19th centuries.
On Maisey’s note as you have already corrected it the use of words in Sinhala; the correct term is “gal mita piha” (stone hilted knife) and “Vak piha” (curved knife) and not the other way around.
|