Perhaps a dumb question, but are these still being made in Sri Lanka today or is this another item from the past?
Many knives and swords, such as the keris,kukri, dha, kanjar, jambiya and such are still used in dialy life and very much at least a status object in some cultures, while a weapon and/or tool in others.
In some cases, modern pieces of substantial quality are still being produced and used, while in others they have been largely reduced to, or at least most commonly seen, as poor quality tourist oriented novelties.
With the mention of hilt similarity to the keris, that also brings to mind the question of is or was there any religious implication to or associated with these, or were they simply status symbols of the elite (which seems highly unlikely)
Some knives come to mind that were originally only permitted to be worn by royalty or high ranked court officials but eventually spread to neighboring areas in similar forms and often with entirely different uses, with the Wedung as an example.
Mike
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