A Massive Dha/Daab/Dah/Dao....But From Where???

[CharlesS]

Here is a lovely old massive dha/daab/dah/dao sword, the likes of which I have never seen. It is 59in. long overall with a 28in. long blade that is 2.25in. wide at its widest point, and 1/2in. thick at the forte. I have put it next to a more average sized dha for comparisons.

The blade style(dao) seems NW. Burmese even into Nagaland, but the long, elegant brass mounted hilt seems a bit refined for Naga blades. The blade shows a nice temper line and a lot of activity when etched, though I doubt little of this was shown in its original form.

It has been suggested this was a sparring weapon. I just can't see that. Sparring weapons generally don't have the ability to literally cut a man in half...this does.

Comments and opinions regarding this piece's origin are most welcome.