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Originally Posted by Ian
Jerseyman:
Thank you for presenting this interesting knife/sword.
The presence of snake/lizard skin at the throat and toe of the scabbard is most unusual for mainland SE Asian dha/darb/darv, while the braided rattan strips used to wrap the two wooden pieces of the scabbard are quite typical of that region. I notice that the braided rattan around the two pieces of snake/lizard skin is paler than the rest of the bindings, so perhaps the skin was added later.
This particular brass/bronze hilt is also very unusual for a SE Asian dha/dharb/darv. Lao and Cambodian knives and swords featured cast copper alloy hilts in the remote past (pre-19th C), but the lobulated shape of this hilt does not ring any bells for me. Detlef has suggested a Kachin origin, but again this hilt does not fit with any I have seen on knives or swords from northern Burma or nearby regions (such as Nagaland or Assam). The blade shape is widespread in mainland SE Asia and parts of neighboring southern China, so it does not really help in identifying a more precise origin.
I cannot tell you from what animal the skin came, although Barry (VANDOO) might be able to help. This may be useful in narrowing down the region of origin.
My best guess is that this knife comes from one of the hill tribes of Laos/Cambodia/Vietnam whom the French referred to as "montagnard." It is also possible that this is not from mainland SE Asia but from Sumatra or Borneo--however, I could find nothing in Albert v. Zonneveld's book that resembled it.
Sorry I can't be of more help.
Ian.
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Are we in fact sure that it IS skin of some sort? The hatching looks very even to be skin. Could it be a very nice example of weaving?
Stu