New acquisition- Burmese Dha

Nathaniel · 13th February 2008, 02:42 AM

kahnjar1 · 13th February 2008, 04:29 AM

looks to be KACHIN in origin. What is length etc?
Regards Stuart

ariel · 13th February 2008, 05:04 AM

This one does not look like a utility machete: fighting sword, nothing else.
Nice one: simple, sturdy, good quality.
Good catch!

Nathaniel · 13th February 2008, 05:42 AM

Good question, kahnjar1

Here are the stats:

60cm blade
17cm hilt
79cm Overall

And your right, Ariel, it is very sturdy...1cm thick at the spine at the hilt and at it's tip is 0.5cm! Good Grip and the blade feels very solid in the handle...no rattling.

The top 2 thin bands are nailed...3 bands missing....and the 4 bands at the bottom are not nailed at all.

Mark · 13th February 2008, 04:56 PM

Nice dha, Nathaniel. This is one of those interesting cross-pollenated pieces that you see so often in the region. As Stuart pointed out, there are strong Kachin influences, namely the square/concave tip (hard to tell which on the older ones that have been worn down). The blade curve, grip style, and scabbard style are Bama (Burman), however.

The typical Kachin utility dha has a flared grip, and a short, very broad, essentially straight blade, though you could say that there is some blade curvature due to a different sweep of the edge and spine blade.

The "fighting" Kachin dha on the other hand has a long, straight blade and a simple, unflared handle like yours.

Both have a square/concave tip. Shagreen is not very common on Kachin sword dha (or sword dao, as Egerton calls them), though it is quite common on Bama dha.

Nathaniel · 14th February 2008, 06:08 AM

Thanks for the pics & info Mark

13th February 2008, 02:42 AM	#1
Nathaniel Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 865	New acquisition- Burmese Dha Last edited by Nathaniel; 13th February 2008 at 06:25 AM.

13th February 2008, 04:29 AM	#2
kahnjar1 Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: CHRISTCHURCH NEW ZEALAND Posts: 2,739	Nice Piece looks to be KACHIN in origin. What is length etc? Regards Stuart

13th February 2008, 05:04 AM	#3
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	This one does not look like a utility machete: fighting sword, nothing else. Nice one: simple, sturdy, good quality. Good catch!

13th February 2008, 05:42 AM	#4
Nathaniel Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 865	Good question, kahnjar1 Here are the stats: 60cm blade 17cm hilt 79cm Overall And your right, Ariel, it is very sturdy...1cm thick at the spine at the hilt and at it's tip is 0.5cm! Good Grip and the blade feels very solid in the handle...no rattling. The top 2 thin bands are nailed...3 bands missing....and the 4 bands at the bottom are not nailed at all.

13th February 2008, 04:56 PM	#5
Mark Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 987	Nice dha, Nathaniel. This is one of those interesting cross-pollenated pieces that you see so often in the region. As Stuart pointed out, there are strong Kachin influences, namely the square/concave tip (hard to tell which on the older ones that have been worn down). The blade curve, grip style, and scabbard style are Bama (Burman), however. The typical Kachin utility dha has a flared grip, and a short, very broad, essentially straight blade, though you could say that there is some blade curvature due to a different sweep of the edge and spine blade. The "fighting" Kachin dha on the other hand has a long, straight blade and a simple, unflared handle like yours. Both have a square/concave tip. Shagreen is not very common on Kachin sword dha (or sword dao, as Egerton calls them), though it is quite common on Bama dha.

14th February 2008, 06:08 AM	#6
Nathaniel Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 865	Thanks for the pics & info Mark