Burmese Dha & Javanese Badik

Aurangzeb · 28th May 2006, 10:26 PM

ASlmost forgot, what whoud the normal dressing for the sekin be?

Aurangzeb · 29th May 2006, 08:17 PM

Do I have the age of the Burmese Dha right? How whould it be worn?

Mark · 30th May 2006, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aurangzeb

Do I have the age of the Burmese Dha right? How whould it be worn?

Yes, I would say you probably do. It is so hard to tell between a well-worn recent knife and a well-preserved old knife, but IMO the obviously hand-forged blade, coupled with the fine quality of the fittings (by which I mean it is neither something someone pounded out in a mountain village, nor a modern mass- or semi-mass-produced blade), point to that age more or less.

I haven't studied the dagger-length dha (dha-hmyaung) as much as the swords, but the style seems very universal in the entire region. From what I have seen recently, though, the Burman ones do not have guards, while the Thai ones tend to.

As for how it would have been worn -- no idea. In the north the Shan/Tai Yuan wear their dha-hmyaung suspended from their belt by a cord, a minature version of the baldric used for swords. However, I have never seen a cord hanger in this, more southern, style, which makes me suspect that it would be worn in a manner more like that of a keris or badik - tucked directly into the sash. I am, of course, open to correction.

Aurangzeb · 2nd June 2006, 03:12 AM

Thanks! So this is a Burmese dha-hmyaung from the late 19th century.

Mark...

PUFF · 2nd June 2006, 06:32 AM

In Thailand, such a knife are mostly used in the same way as an amulet (protect one from evil) or as a ceremonial knife. They are supposed to be blessed by a medic (shaman or monk). Mark called this one as priest knives. In Thai, they are called Meed Morh (literally means medic 's knives).

(Note: this pic is upside-down, so all the knives have downward hilt)

http://images.google.co.th/images?q=...r=&sa=N&tab=wi

Beside the Meed Morh, there are other utility knives/weapons with similar downward hilt.

Meed Eneb or Meed Hneb, utility knives. They have noticable big belly, design for chopping action.

Meed PraDae (Thai for Badik), a personal utility knife/weapon. Were used 3-400 years ago. There are many example from late Ayuthaya period but it 's possible that the knives were used in the older time.

Meed ChaiThong, literally means flag-tip knives. Nothing related with flag but its shape. The extend of base might be kind of evolved keris 's Ganja.

kai · 30th May 2006, 12:04 AM

Hello Mark,

Quote:

I have never heard of this type of knife.

If you're seriously into Indonesian blades, you need to get Albert van Zonneveld's book.

Quote:

From the link below better pictures can be seen.

Good catch - it's rare to get not fully appraised stuff from Artzi...

Quote:

what whoud the normal dressing for the sekin be?

Not too different - how's the fit of the scabbard? (Could be more slender/graceful.)

The traditional sekin hilt looks more like those rencong hilts without L-shaped bend (i.e. hulu puntung) and, especially, the somewhat intermediate hulu dandan. Although the sekin blade does not have that forged stem-ring, I think there could be a relationship between these weapons. However, the rencong hilts are all curved towards the back of the blade whereas the sekin hilt (apparently representing a very stylised bird's head) curves towards the edge similar as with a sewar.

Regards,
Kai

Aurangzeb · 30th May 2006, 02:13 AM

Hello Kai!

"Good catch - it's rare to get not fully appraised stuff from Artzi..."
I know when I first heard that Artzi might have made a mistake I was in a state of disbelief!

It fits in the scabbard very nicely, not to tight not to loose, just right. Thanks for the information on the Sekin! I noticed that rencongs have a similer little decoration near the back of the blade.
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...hlight=rencong

Mark...

P.S.-I can only imagine how it got into it's most recent dressing!

29th May 2006, 08:17 PM	#2
Aurangzeb Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 306	Do I have the age of the Burmese Dha right? How whould it be worn? Last edited by Aurangzeb; 29th May 2006 at 08:27 PM.

30th May 2006, 02:13 AM	#7
Aurangzeb Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 306	Hello Kai! "Good catch - it's rare to get not fully appraised stuff from Artzi..." I know when I first heard that Artzi might have made a mistake I was in a state of disbelief! It fits in the scabbard very nicely, not to tight not to loose, just right. Thanks for the information on the Sekin! I noticed that rencongs have a similer little decoration near the back of the blade. http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...hlight=rencong Mark... P.S.-I can only imagine how it got into it's most recent dressing! Last edited by Aurangzeb; 30th May 2006 at 02:30 AM.

28th May 2006, 10:26 PM	#1
Aurangzeb Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 306	ASlmost forgot, what whoud the normal dressing for the sekin be?

2nd June 2006, 03:12 AM	#4
Aurangzeb Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 306	Thanks! So this is a Burmese dha-hmyaung from the late 19th century. Mark...

2nd June 2006, 06:32 AM	#5
PUFF Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: 30 miles north of Bangkok, 20 miles south of Ayuthaya, Thailand Posts: 224	In Thailand, such a knife are mostly used in the same way as an amulet (protect one from evil) or as a ceremonial knife. They are supposed to be blessed by a medic (shaman or monk). Mark called this one as priest knives. In Thai, they are called Meed Morh (literally means medic 's knives). (Note: this pic is upside-down, so all the knives have downward hilt) http://images.google.co.th/images?q=...r=&sa=N&tab=wi Beside the Meed Morh, there are other utility knives/weapons with similar downward hilt. Meed Eneb or Meed Hneb, utility knives. They have noticable big belly, design for chopping action. Meed PraDae (Thai for Badik), a personal utility knife/weapon. Were used 3-400 years ago. There are many example from late Ayuthaya period but it 's possible that the knives were used in the older time. Meed ChaiThong, literally means flag-tip knives. Nothing related with flag but its shape. The extend of base might be kind of evolved keris 's Ganja.