A Massive Dha/Daab/Dah/Dao....But From Where???

[Ian]

Originally Posted by CharlesS

But what about the blade style Ian? I don't see it as very Thai.

Charles, you are correct. It is not a very Thai style of tip to the blade. However, we do see this style along the Yunnan border, from northern Burma to Laos--I have one or two examples made by the HuSa people (ethnically close to the Shan and living in nearby Yunnan) that bear their distinctive mark. The HuSa sold their knives and swords widely (including into Assam, Bhutan and Tibet) so where these were used could be some distance from the site of manufacture.

The hilt:blade ratio is a better guide of where this sword was made IMO. Northern Burmese (Kachin) dha and those from the various Assam-area groups preserve a short hilt even on some very long blades. To illustrate this, please see the pics attached that show several dha from Assam/N. Burma/Yunnan areas. Despite considerable variation in the length of the blades, the hilts are fairly uniform in length.

Nathaniel has nailed it I think.

Ian.