New Member/S.E. Asian Sword Comments

Mark · 16th July 2006, 08:20 PM

Welcome to the Forum, David. Very nice blades. I'm ignorant about mandau (other than being able to recognize them), so I can only comment on the dha.

The first is of a type I have never seen before. Laotian is plausible. I think the handle is too long for it to be Burman, though it could be Shan.

The dagger is a Shan dha-hmyaung, eastern Burma or northern Thailand.

DavidE · 16th July 2006, 10:49 PM

Thanks Mark,

The handle on the dha is 12 inches long, and the blade is just at 20 inches. I bought it at an antique shop, which had high quality txtiles and tribal artifacts. In Vientianne there were tourist shops everywhere selling cheap reproductions of every sort...swords, textiles, statues, that you can find in most larger cities in Laos, Vietnam, and Malaysia. My wife and I happened to find just a couple though, that seemed to have higher quality items. The owner of the shop told me that the sword was from the 1920's and was commonly carried by soldiers that protected the king.

I don't know much about this type of sword, and don't know whether the guy was being honest or not, although he did seem knowledgable and honest regarding textiles I knew more about. Regardless, I liked the design, balance, and quality of the sword, so I would have purchased it anyway. Thanks again,

David

16th July 2006, 08:20 PM	#1
Mark Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 987	Welcome to the Forum, David. Very nice blades. I'm ignorant about mandau (other than being able to recognize them), so I can only comment on the dha. The first is of a type I have never seen before. Laotian is plausible. I think the handle is too long for it to be Burman, though it could be Shan. The dagger is a Shan dha-hmyaung, eastern Burma or northern Thailand.

16th July 2006, 10:49 PM	#2
DavidE Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 7	Thanks Mark, The handle on the dha is 12 inches long, and the blade is just at 20 inches. I bought it at an antique shop, which had high quality txtiles and tribal artifacts. In Vientianne there were tourist shops everywhere selling cheap reproductions of every sort...swords, textiles, statues, that you can find in most larger cities in Laos, Vietnam, and Malaysia. My wife and I happened to find just a couple though, that seemed to have higher quality items. The owner of the shop told me that the sword was from the 1920's and was commonly carried by soldiers that protected the king. I don't know much about this type of sword, and don't know whether the guy was being honest or not, although he did seem knowledgable and honest regarding textiles I knew more about. Regardless, I liked the design, balance, and quality of the sword, so I would have purchased it anyway. Thanks again, David