Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - Unusual brass-hilted knife--opinions sought re origin

Ian · 15th December 2014, 07:21 PM

Andrew:

I am posting below a figure from Ian Heath's, Armies of the Nineteenth Century: Asia 3. India's North-East Frontier, 1999, p. 74. Here is the faint text which accompanied the diagrams.

Though they were drawn from Shendu examples, these weapons are all equally characteristic of most other Chin-Lushai peoples. They comprise (1) a spear with a typical lozenge shaped blade and a butt-spike; (2) a quiver, complete with lid secured by a piece of string; (3) a typical Chin-Lushai bracer; (4) a dao (takong); (5) a basketwork dao scabbard with shoulder strap; (6) a sword (zozi); (7) a typical decorated mithun-horn powder-flask; and (8) a small brass-handled knife and scabbard. These all come from N.E. Parry's The Lakhars (1932). They were obviously not drawn to scale, but there is a rule adjacent to each individual drawing which the artist has graduated in inches.

On the following page, Heath has this to say about some of the edged weapons.

"The Shendu dao (called a takong) was 18–22 inches (46–56 cm) from the tip of the blade to the end of the bamboo handle. It was most often thrust through the loincloth waistband behind the back or was carried in the usual haversack that was slung over one or other shoulder, but cane scabbards with a bone chape were sometimes seen, suspended at the left side with a leather baldric or a cane hoop worn over the right shoulder. Chiefs and leading warriors might substitute a variety of long handled dao called a zozi. This was actually a curved sword of Burmese provenance, which had a blade up to about 19 inches (48 cm) long and a brass ornamented handle of about another 10–11 inches (25–28 cm). It had a brass scabbard described by Parry as 'lacquered in red or black, or in alternate sections of red or black'."

The underlining is my addition for emphasis. For comparison, I have also included below the hilts of my knife and the dha that I had posted earlier in this thread. Note the similarity in decoration of the hilts, especially the pommels, of these two examples with the drawings from Heath.

Ian.

15th December 2014, 07:21 PM	#5
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,333	Andrew: I am posting below a figure from Ian Heath's, Armies of the Nineteenth Century: Asia 3. India's North-East Frontier, 1999, p. 74. Here is the faint text which accompanied the diagrams. Though they were drawn from Shendu examples, these weapons are all equally characteristic of most other Chin-Lushai peoples. They comprise (1) a spear with a typical lozenge shaped blade and a butt-spike; (2) a quiver, complete with lid secured by a piece of string; (3) a typical Chin-Lushai bracer; (4) a dao (takong); (5) a basketwork dao scabbard with shoulder strap; (6) a sword (zozi); (7) a typical decorated mithun-horn powder-flask; and (8) a small brass-handled knife and scabbard. These all come from N.E. Parry's The Lakhars (1932). They were obviously not drawn to scale, but there is a rule adjacent to each individual drawing which the artist has graduated in inches. On the following page, Heath has this to say about some of the edged weapons. "The Shendu dao (called a takong) was 18–22 inches (46–56 cm) from the tip of the blade to the end of the bamboo handle. It was most often thrust through the loincloth waistband behind the back or was carried in the usual haversack that was slung over one or other shoulder, but cane scabbards with a bone chape were sometimes seen, suspended at the left side with a leather baldric or a cane hoop worn over the right shoulder. Chiefs and leading warriors might substitute a variety of long handled dao called a zozi. This was actually a curved sword of Burmese provenance, which had a blade up to about 19 inches (48 cm) long and a brass ornamented handle of about another 10–11 inches (25–28 cm). It had a brass scabbard described by Parry as 'lacquered in red or black, or in alternate sections of red or black'." The underlining is my addition for emphasis. For comparison, I have also included below the hilts of my knife and the dha that I had posted earlier in this thread. Note the similarity in decoration of the hilts, especially the pommels, of these two examples with the drawings from Heath. Ian. Attached Images Last edited by Ian; 16th December 2014 at 11:08 PM.