Formosa Hill Tribe Swords ( for Yuanzhumin )

[Ian]

Zalmoxis:

The rattan wrap on the handle looks typical work of the Naga or some of the nearby tribes, such as the Abor, in N.E. India. The closed scabbard is not typical of Naga or Abor, and may not be original to this knife; the scabbard could perhaps be from another nearby group or the result of an inappropriate "marriage." Nice looking functional knife.

Here is one from the old forum that is attributed to the Abor people who live in N. Assam and neighboring Tibet, on the other side of the Bramaputhra River from the Naga. This one has an open scabbard similar to Naga dao, and reminiscent of the ones shown above on some Taiwanese swords and knives. There is no clear connection, however, between the Abor and Naga in N.E. India and the tribal groups of central and northern Taiwan that might suggest this is anything more than coincidence.

Ian.

Dao of the Abor people of N. Assam and nearby Tibet