Burmese dha use question

[JeffS]

Hello. I'm revisiting this dha I bought from Artzi in 2008. This was the description on the sell page:

"This good Dah sword is coming from Burma, very early 20 C. Very fine blade 21 inches long with nicely shaped tip, inlaid with silver koftgari decoration. Wood handle with checkered grip and big brass / copper mounts. Wood scabbard bound with brass band. Total length 30 inches. Very good condition. This Dah sword comes with its original red baldric cord."

I've been trying to find early 20th century photos of Burmese people with dha so I can get an ethnographic sense of the original owner. From what I have picked up on this forum the style of the this sword, due to the koftgari, time period, and non-ethnic specific style, would likely be carried by a business man or government official rather for martial or day-to-day use. Early Burmese photos are thin on the ground and the few I've found searching the web with dha have been royalty, thaing related or of traditional Kachin. So the question is, how/when/why was this general class of Burmese dha carried? Where they costume for formal events, self defense, duels of honor, hang on the wall??

Also, while the koftgari, wide central fuller, and three part hilt are obviously common features I have not seen this blade tip shape anywhere else. I was wondering if anyone had thoughts on the significance of the style regarding use or cultural influence.

[Rick]

Perhaps the tip has been reshaped. The fuller seems to run into the edge bevel.

[kahnjar1]

http://dharesearch.bowditch.us/
Try this link. Everything (almost) you will ever need to know about Dha. There was a direct link (I think) from the Forum but can't find it now.
Stu

[Ian]

Jeff,

I think Rick is correct, in that the fuller is passing through a sharpened area at the end of the bklade, and this likely indicates a reshaped tip. Fullers do run through the end of some dha blades, but these usually have a blunt, squared-off end or a concave end (as shown in the attachment). Such blunt- or cancave-ended dha were especially used by the Kachin, and usually had a three-part hilt such as the one shown in your original post. While fullered blades were made by the Burmese, they were also made by the Achang people of Husa in Yunnan (who made excellent blades BTW). The blade in the OP may have started out as a Husa dha.

As for their use, the dha as a fighting weapon lost prominence in the second half of the 19th C when firearms became more prevalent. By the early 20th C, plain dha were still being used for working purposes (as "jungle knives") but otherwise higher quality examples were largely ceremonial in function, being worn as a sign of status, at weddings, on national holidays, festivals and other cultural events.

Ian

P.S. On the subject of the Dha Index, this is now very old information and contains quite a few inaccuracies. Just a word of caution in its use. Even though some of my dha are shown there, the descriptions previously attributed to them may no longer be accurate.
.

[kronckew]

They also came in pointy.

Like mine below:

(see also the other point types chart)

[kronckew]

Just for interest - an earlier form, the Ayutthayan (Thai) Daab/Dha. The city was destroyed by the Burmese in 1787, so these types were earlier, from a time when they were actually used in battle. Unusual 'yelman' at the point. I have one like it. Very well-balanced and an excellent sturdy weapon. These are in a museum in Thailand.

The Dha's long grip is to balance the blade, they are a one handed weapon, tho a two handed coup-de-grace was occasionally used.

[kahnjar1]

Originally Posted by kronckew

Just for interest - an earlier form, the Ayutthayan (Thai) Daab/Dha. The city was destroyed by the Burmese in 1787, so these types were earlier, from a time when they were actually used in battle. Unusual 'yelman' at the point. I have one like it. Very well-balanced and an excellent sturdy weapon. These are in a museum in Thailand.

The Dha's long grip is to balance the blade, they are a one handed weapon, tho a two handed coup-de-grace was occasionally used.

Kronckew mentions Ayutthaya. Here are a couple of pic of how the city looks today.
Stu