Dao from Naga of Assam ?

[thomas hauschild]

Hi everybody

It is my first thread as a new member so at first I like to introduce myself shortly. My name Thomas Hauschild from germany. I ´m 52 years old working as a production manager and a semiprofessional knifemaker. I forge my blades, make my own damascus and I ´m member of the german knifemakerguild. I ´ve started my collection with a first piece because of the strong wish to forge an own "parang" without the knowledge what a "parang" is or what it should looke like in that time. Luckily or not luckily ( luckily I ´ve got a good piece for my money, unluckily I became addicted to collect ;-)my first piece was real usable one. My focus for collection is not on special type or area were the pieces comes from. My focus is on well forged blades with a good balance, pieces that feels "right" in the hand. I will be here to learn, so any information will be welcome.( I will ad more information in the profile)

First thread is a dao / 2-hand sword from the people of Naga from Assam / India ? I have found only minor information without having the right keyword for google. 60 cm blade till the forged guard , totaly 83 cm. Full metal, one piece. Near the edges there are some pattern lines visible. Maybe a raffinated steel/iron. One edge shows some darker areas maybe there is a steel core visible ( san mai ). This is all I know about this well forged piece. I can ´t realy imagine how many work it was to create such a piece. I hope to get some more information. ( hope to made everything right with the pics)

Best thomas

[Bob A]

Welcome to the site.

For further information on the Naga people, I recommend the books of Ursula Graham Bower. Hers is an interesting story, and I always enjoy having some background information on the items I collect.

She has a Wikipedia link, but I'm having a problem creating a usable link.

Of all the weapons I now have, the one with the best "feel" in hand is a jimpul I obtained from Oriental-Arms.

Your sword is quite similar to one in my collection. I've seen a couple others in the last year or so.

[Battara]

Wellkommen!

Can't add much more but it is a nice and complete example!

[Ian]

Hello Thomas and welcome to the Forum!

This unusual style of sword is said to come from the Garo people. Ian Heath's volume on the NE Frontier* shows a picture of the Garo's weapons and also a number of line drawings of Garo warriors carrying these swords. I have copied those figures here.

The Garo are an ethnic group distinct from the Naga and have a fairly wide distribution in NE India as well as Bangladesh.

Ian.

* Ian Heath. Armies of the Nineteenth Century: Asia. Volume 3: India's North-Eastern Frontier. Foundry, 1999.

[thomas hauschild]

Thanks a lot for the pictures. I was not realy sure which would be the right way to hold. This is also clear now.

Best regards and thanks a lot for your help

Thomas

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Salaams, thomas hauschild, I dug up a couple of indicators on this weapon which is a Twa Hander!! The Garo Dao.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[thomas hauschild]

Thanks a lot Ibrahim.

It´s great to get in contact to people all over the world with that knowledge. This forum is realy great.

Best regards Thomas

[ausjulius]

hello this is not a naga weapon.. it is a garo weapon from garoland ,....similar people but not naga . they still make these.. i have seen examples on youtube videos showing a cultural display in a garo tribal area in bangladesh in 2015!

weird weapon...

[Rick]

Originally Posted by ausjulius

hello this is not a naga weapon.. it is a garo weapon from garoland ,....similar people but not naga . they still make these.. i have seen examples on youtube videos showing a cultural display in a garo tribal area in bangladesh in 2015!

weird weapon...

Usually form follows function; it would seem not to apply in this case.

[thomas hauschild]

Thanks ausjulius

Yes Ibrahim wrote, that it is from the garo-people. My information "naga" was with a "?" . It was named like this in an auction of a similar piece at oriental arms ( link from wiki germany ) , now I know that garo is right.

Thanks and best tegards thomas

[Marcus]

I was not familiar with this type until I read this thread a couple days ago. Yesterday I was watching a live auction and when this piece came up. I bid and won it. Their description was:

NAGA HEADHUNTER TWO-HANDED DAO SWORD
Garo People, of a form very seldom encountered, known as a Mil-Am. Wrought of a single piece of steel, the tang straight with spatulate pommel, the heavy blade obliquely angled at the forte, then straight and double-edged, with a cusped tip. The guard is composed of a steel rod passed through a punched aperture in the tang. 19th century. Patinaed overall.

[naorem]

Originally Posted by Ibrahiim al Balooshi

Salaams, thomas hauschild, I dug up a couple of indicators on this weapon which is a Twa Hander!! The Garo Dao.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Good morning

Regarding the above message and picture of Garo dao you have share, please share me detail about the book. Name of the book and author and publisher

thank you
naorem arun singh
nas7naorem@gmail.com

[Ian]

Marcus: Good find! These are scarce and do not come up very often.

Naorem: The pictures shown by Ibrahiim, are from Stone's Glossary (on the left) and Rawson's "The Indian Sword" (on the right). Both of these are out of print but readily available through used booksellers.

Ian.

[Tim Simmons]

I would of loved to have one of these.

[Bob A]

Originally Posted by Tim Simmons

I would of loved to have one of these.

Keep alert. I see a couple offered for sale every year.