hmong knife from French Guiana

blue lander · 9th October 2014, 01:19 PM

The seller says it was purchased in Cacao, French Guiana in 1977. Cacao is apparently the center of the Hmong community that was established there after the Vietnam war. According to Wikipedia the first wave of refugees arrived in 1977, the year this knife was acquired, and they lived off government subsidies until they could pool enough money to buy farming equipment.

According to this article there is a Hmong blacksmith in Cacao who made knives. But given that this knife was purchased the same year they arrived, I wonder if it was made in Cacao or was brought over from Laos? The article does say the first thing the guy did when he landed was set up his forge to make tools to clear the land, so he probably was making knives in '77

Here's a Hmong knife made in Cacao for comparison

9th October 2014, 01:19 PM	#1
blue lander Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 456	hmong knife from French Guiana The seller says it was purchased in Cacao, French Guiana in 1977. Cacao is apparently the center of the Hmong community that was established there after the Vietnam war. According to Wikipedia the first wave of refugees arrived in 1977, the year this knife was acquired, and they lived off government subsidies until they could pool enough money to buy farming equipment. According to this article there is a Hmong blacksmith in Cacao who made knives. But given that this knife was purchased the same year they arrived, I wonder if it was made in Cacao or was brought over from Laos? The article does say the first thing the guy did when he landed was set up his forge to make tools to clear the land, so he probably was making knives in '77 Here's a Hmong knife made in Cacao for comparison Attached Images Last edited by blue lander; 9th October 2014 at 01:49 PM.