DHA ?

Royston · 16th July 2008, 02:53 PM

Does anyone have any ideas about this one ? I have always assumed it to be a Dha but have often wondered about the oval cross section of the hilt and the straight blade. Any info will be welcome.
Thanks
Royston

RhysMichael · 16th July 2008, 07:02 PM

Dha with this style of blade are not uncommon. usually they are associated with the Kachin Look at sword 231 and 232 here
http://www.arscives.com/historysteel....swordlist.htm

Several others can be found on Marks index here
http://dharesearch.bowditch.us/SwordsFrame1Source1.htm

I have never seen one with an oval hilt but maybe others have or maybe it was originally round and was "flattened" a bit by something that happened to it

Andrew · 16th July 2008, 08:47 PM

This is a Burmese dha, likely from one of the Kachin (Jingpaw) tribes.

The three part handle is very typical of swords from this region/ethnic group, as is the blade profile. Similar blades do appear on swords from other areas but, in combination with the handle, I'm confident in the Kachin attribution. The oval handle cross-section isn't common, but isn't unknown--I have one in my collection that I got from Mark.

Parenthetically, the laquered cord center section isn't very common, either. I've only seen it on two other swords, both of which are believed to be Thai. Obviously, this is not necessarily a Thai feature.

The scabbard looks like a later addition, not original to the blade, nor this type of weapon. Having said that, if the scabbard is original this, in combination with the oval handle, it may indicate a NW Burmese origin to this sword as it has strong similarities to weapons that form a "nexus" between Naga sword dao and more conventional dha.

Cool sword.

dennee · 16th July 2008, 09:09 PM

Except that I have never been convinced that a Naga dao is necessarily a Naga dao. While they seem to appear among the easternmost Nagas, the axe type of weapon/tool seems more common and indigenous. I have generally assumed that the form, if not also many examples, found among the Nagas were borrowed from neighboring peoples, such as the Khamti.

Andrew · 16th July 2008, 11:04 PM

Okay. So it may be an example of a "nexus" between a Khamti sword dao and a dha.

RhysMichael · 17th July 2008, 01:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dennee

Except that I have never been convinced that a Naga dao is necessarily a Naga dao. While they seem to appear among the easternmost Nagas, the axe type of weapon/tool seems more common and indigenous. I have generally assumed that the form, if not also many examples, found among the Nagas were borrowed from neighboring peoples, such as the Khamti.

I'd love to hear more on this. In fact this would be well worth a thread onto itself. To start that discussion here is a photo of a khampti dance from this site (http://lohit.nic.in/photogallery/fest_dances.htm)

RhysMichael · 17th July 2008, 01:26 AM

About the sword above. I know we usually think of it as Kachin but has anyone ever seen pictures of it also being used by the Singpho. I think I saw a picture of that somewhere but I cannot lay my hands on it right now

Royston · 17th July 2008, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RhysMichael

Dha with this style of blade are not uncommon. usually they are associated with the Kachin Look at sword 231 and 232 here
http://www.arscives.com/historysteel....swordlist.htm

Several others can be found on Marks index here
http://dharesearch.bowditch.us/SwordsFrame1Source1.htm

I have never seen one with an oval hilt but maybe others have or maybe it was originally round and was "flattened" a bit by something that happened to it

Gentlemen,

Thanks for the references, most useful.

The hilt was definitely made oval and has not been flattened. It is too uniform in construction to suggest some form of damage.

I agree with the comment about the scabbard being a later addition. It fits well enough to have been made for the sword but it does not look original.

Is there any evidence of trade between Eastern Naga's and Burma ? Is it possible that elements of weapons were copied from each other ?

regards
Royston

dennee · 17th July 2008, 03:13 PM

It seems that the Nagas were somewhat challenged for sources of iron and steel; there is the oft-told story of them fashioning 'axe' blades from British tea plantation hoe blades. There is certainly an iron-working tradition, as I recall, also strongest in the east (Kalyo-Kengyu, etc.)

A "sword dao" blade contains a fair amount of steel, and Naga blades appear to generally grow larger over time, as steel becomes more available (one need only look at the large twentieth-century sword/axe types, whose blades are at lest the same length as the hafts).

It may well be that there are characteristic eastern Naga sword-daos, but I am hesitant to suggest that the origins of the form are among that people when what we know of archaic Naga "dao" forms is different.

I suspect that the daos with the ivory pommels are Khamti, as the Khamti are known for ivory work among other things, and I have seen photos of Khamtis with similar daos.

Surely, there was trade among the neighboring peoples, just as the Akha often acquired Bhutanese swords, and the "Dafla," Mishmi, and Apa Tani had Tibetan swords and blades.

16th July 2008, 02:53 PM	#1
Royston Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Poole England Posts: 443	DHA ? Does anyone have any ideas about this one ? I have always assumed it to be a Dha but have often wondered about the oval cross section of the hilt and the straight blade. Any info will be welcome. Thanks Royston Attached Images

16th July 2008, 07:02 PM	#2
RhysMichael Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Virginia Posts: 520	Dha with this style of blade are not uncommon. usually they are associated with the Kachin Look at sword 231 and 232 here http://www.arscives.com/historysteel....swordlist.htm Several others can be found on Marks index here http://dharesearch.bowditch.us/SwordsFrame1Source1.htm I have never seen one with an oval hilt but maybe others have or maybe it was originally round and was "flattened" a bit by something that happened to it

16th July 2008, 08:47 PM	#3
Andrew Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: USA Posts: 1,725	This is a Burmese dha, likely from one of the Kachin (Jingpaw) tribes. The three part handle is very typical of swords from this region/ethnic group, as is the blade profile. Similar blades do appear on swords from other areas but, in combination with the handle, I'm confident in the Kachin attribution. The oval handle cross-section isn't common, but isn't unknown--I have one in my collection that I got from Mark. Parenthetically, the laquered cord center section isn't very common, either. I've only seen it on two other swords, both of which are believed to be Thai. Obviously, this is not necessarily a Thai feature. The scabbard looks like a later addition, not original to the blade, nor this type of weapon. Having said that, if the scabbard is original this, in combination with the oval handle, it may indicate a NW Burmese origin to this sword as it has strong similarities to weapons that form a "nexus" between Naga sword dao and more conventional dha. Cool sword.

16th July 2008, 09:09 PM	#4
dennee Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: College Park, MD Posts: 186	Except that I have never been convinced that a Naga dao is necessarily a Naga dao. While they seem to appear among the easternmost Nagas, the axe type of weapon/tool seems more common and indigenous. I have generally assumed that the form, if not also many examples, found among the Nagas were borrowed from neighboring peoples, such as the Khamti.

16th July 2008, 11:04 PM	#5
Andrew Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: USA Posts: 1,725	Okay. So it may be an example of a "nexus" between a Khamti sword dao and a dha.

17th July 2008, 01:26 AM	#7
RhysMichael Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Virginia Posts: 520	About the sword above. I know we usually think of it as Kachin but has anyone ever seen pictures of it also being used by the Singpho. I think I saw a picture of that somewhere but I cannot lay my hands on it right now

17th July 2008, 03:13 PM	#9
dennee Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: College Park, MD Posts: 186	It seems that the Nagas were somewhat challenged for sources of iron and steel; there is the oft-told story of them fashioning 'axe' blades from British tea plantation hoe blades. There is certainly an iron-working tradition, as I recall, also strongest in the east (Kalyo-Kengyu, etc.) A "sword dao" blade contains a fair amount of steel, and Naga blades appear to generally grow larger over time, as steel becomes more available (one need only look at the large twentieth-century sword/axe types, whose blades are at lest the same length as the hafts). It may well be that there are characteristic eastern Naga sword-daos, but I am hesitant to suggest that the origins of the form are among that people when what we know of archaic Naga "dao" forms is different. I suspect that the daos with the ivory pommels are Khamti, as the Khamti are known for ivory work among other things, and I have seen photos of Khamtis with similar daos. Surely, there was trade among the neighboring peoples, just as the Akha often acquired Bhutanese swords, and the "Dafla," Mishmi, and Apa Tani had Tibetan swords and blades.