Interesting dha

[Ian]

This auction just finished and I wonder if one of our Forumites is the new owner.

The knife/sword appears to be from a cut down longer dha/daab blade. There is a ferrule that runs all the way through to the tip, and it appears that the tip has been reworked into a tapered point in the fashion of many Burmese, Thai or Cambodian knives.

The handle is unusual. It has a brass ferrule with some vegetative designs, and an hexagonal horn handle that flairs towards the end. The hilt has a partial tang. The shape of the horn hilt is reminiscent of Malay hilts, and I think it is most likely from southern Thailand.

The scabbard, however, is in a well described Lanna/Shan style and therefore of a northern Thailand origin.

So we appear to have a marriage of conflicting styles, and I would say that the sword/knife and its scabbard did not start their lives together.

I cannot confidently assign the style of vegetative decoration on the ferrule to a particular group. Perhaps someone else can provide some more precise guidance and identify the origin of the changes made to this dha.

Ian.