View Single Post
Old 13th November 2016, 03:30 PM   #4
Ian
Vikingsword Staff
 
Ian's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: The Aussie Bush
Posts: 4,037
Default

Hello Arsendaday:

Detlef has correctly identified your Burmese dha as late 19th or early 20th C. The hilt is what remains of an original hilt of this period (although it is hard to say whether it is original to this sword--note the gap between the blade and the hilt that suggests the two have been separated at some time). This hilt would have been once covered with ray skin as indicated by the small silver pins on the grip area. The pommel seems to have been missing for some time, but the remnants of the silver ferrule are distinctly Burmese.

Marius has suggested a possible Thai origin, and I think he came to this from the shape of the blade. The somewhat waisted blade that narrows slightly from the hilt and then widens towards the tip is typical of Shan/Dai/Lao work seen in the region of the "Golden Triangle," particularly in the late 19th/early 20th C and persist today. The Shan are, of course, located mainly in Burma and Yunnan Province, China--they are a prominent minority population in Myanmar who have sought independence for many years.

I would call this a Shan style dha with Burmese decoration to the blade and hilt. Such swords were found widely in Burma and were commonly collected by Europeans.

Attached is a picture of a very similar dha iwe with a hilt as yours would have been (the scabbard is a recent replacement).

Ian.
Attached Images
 
Ian is offline   Reply With Quote