Two shamanic Tonkin knives

[Ian]

I am bringing this old thread back up because I recently purchased from an Australian dealer another example of these Muong hunting knives. Like examples shown below it has the typical stag pommel, silver hilt, and spatulate dark blade. Unfortunately the silver grip is broken across the middle, but the incised design is typical of work from northern Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, etc.

While the broad flat end of the knife is the main functional area (see below), this knife also has a sharpened edge with evidence of some loss of metal over time along that edge. The thickness of the blade is no more than 1.5 mm along its length and is somewhat flexible.

Age is hard to tell, but this one could easily be 19th C judging from the dark patina of the blade, the yellowing of the stag, and its general condition.

Dimensions:
Length of blade: 16 cm
Maximum width of blade: 3.8 cm
Silver hilt: 9.5 cm
Stag pommel: 10 cm
Overall length: 35.5 cm.

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[Sajen]

Hello Ian,

A nice one, congrats! They seems to be somewhat rare, yours is the second example I've seen until now.

Regards,
Detlef

[Ian]

Hi Detlef,

Yes, they do seem to be uncommon. I've been looking for one for several years and found it online recently. I see that Mark Rapaport in his letter to you says that they used to be commonly found in the traditional tribal areas, but now much less so.

Regards, Ian

[Battara]

Great piece Ian. When I grow up I'll get one too...........I love religious and shamanic weapons!

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by Battara

Great piece Ian. When I grow up I'll get one too...........I love religious and shamanic weapons!

You need to look for another reason to get one. The knife from my collection, the both shown in #17 and Ians knife are utility knives like Mark Rapaport stated like follows in #17:
"The one on the right is easy. We have many such (or at least we used to; they are now scarce). They are made for use by hunters, as a utility knife but especially for removing the fat and other things from the inner surface of hides. For that reason, they do not have to be sharp along the long edges. The working edge is the flat short end portion. The knife can be held in the usual way, but the angle formed by the two parts of the deerhorn is ergonomic for inserting a finger or meshing with the web space between two fingers and pushing the end edge along the inside of the hide."
But the muntjak horn horn has indeed a talismanic function.

Regards,
Detlef

[Ian]

Another example I pulled from a simple online search. Also a utility knife. This one has a brass hilt that also shows a repair where the handle has split transversely. This might be a common problem with the design of the hilt and use of the knife.

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