Pacific Islander knife?

[AHite]

I acquired this knife this past week, without really knowing where it came from but I like it. The tag on it said, "Pacific Islander knife WW2". The handle and scabbard are made from a hardwood, and the metal bands and other fittings are aluminum. The aluminum looks aged and is probably from military scrap. The blade, which shows age, is very good steel and holds a great edge. It may have been repurposed from another knife. Clip blade. If any members can identify this knife, or have good educated guesses, please let me know.

Regards,

Andrew

[RobT]

Hi AHite,

It looks like a dha from south east Asia to me.

Sincerely,
RobT

[Ian]

Hi AHite,


Yes, a utility knife from mainland SE Asia.

[ausjulius]

Originally Posted by AHite

I acquired this knife this past week, without really knowing where it came from but I like it. The tag on it said, "Pacific Islander knife WW2". The handle and scabbard are made from a hardwood, and the metal bands and other fittings are aluminum. The aluminum looks aged and is probably from military scrap. The blade, which shows age, is very good steel and holds a great edge. It may have been repurposed from another knife. Clip blade. If any members can identify this knife, or have good educated guesses, please let me know.

Regards,

Andrew

hello Andrew your knife is from northern Burma.

[Ian]

ausjulius, you may be right about northern Burma. There is another group that has used a similar scabbard construction, with aluminum strips around a wooden scabbard, and that is the Hmong/Miao people of the Vietnamese/Lao/Cambodian highlands. Their knife has a clipped point also but tends to be wider in the belly than the example shown, as many knives are from that region. The hilt treatment also would be a little unusual for Hmong construction, but nevertheless a possibility.

Andrew, if your scabbard is original to the knife, then the knife has not seen much use. That makes dating a bit more difficult. It does appear to have some age, although hard to tell from the pictures. The misleading tag could be incorrect, and it's possible this piece was a bring back from the Vietnam War rather than WWII, in which case a Hmong/Miao origin would be more likely. Distinguishing between a 50+ year-old knife and an 80 year-old knife is not always possible, especially from pictures.

Andrew, does the blade have a fuller? Some Burmese blades do have a wide fuller.

[Sajen]

I think Julius is correct, North-West Burma, Chin state.

Regards,
Detlef

[AHite]

Originally Posted by Ian

ausjulius, you may be right about northern Burma. There is another group that has used a similar scabbard construction, with aluminum strips around a wooden scabbard, and that is the Hmong/Miao people of the Vietnamese/Lao/Cambodian highlands. Their knife has a clipped point also but tends to be wider in the belly than the example shown, as many knives are from that region. The hilt treatment also would be a little unusual for Hmong construction, but nevertheless a possibility.

Andrew, if your scabbard is original to the knife, then the knife has not seen much use. That makes dating a bit more difficult. It does appear to have some age, although hard to tell from the pictures. The misleading tag could be incorrect, and it's possible this piece was a bring back from the Vietnam War rather than WWII, in which case a Hmong/Miao origin would be more likely. Distinguishing between a 50+ year-old knife and an 80 year-old knife is not always possible, especially from pictures.

Andrew, does the blade have a fuller? Some Burmese blades do have a wide fuller.

The blade does not have a fuller. The Vietnam connection is intriguing. Thanks, Andrew