Three Interesting Dha Swords...Origin ID Help Needed!

[nechesh]

hmmm. You know, i might be starting to see something in all this dha nonsense.

[Mark]

Originally Posted by nechesh

hmmm. You know, i might be starting to see something in all this dha nonsense.

NO! No no no NO! BAD! Dha bad! Look away, or your head will implode ...

[CharlesS]

THANKS guys! The top and bottom ones were not such mysteries as to their origins, but the middle one was a mystery. Thanks again for the input. I do lean towards a Laotian or Vietnamese origin, and am glad to see that I was not far off.

Any thoughts on the pointed tip of the "spatula blade"...it seems just enough to make the sword a stabber(quite sharp!), and may not be merely ornamental. You'd be hard pressed to find a better balanced dha than that one.

....now, with dhas on the brain, I am off for some 'Larb Gai'....

[Andrew]

Originally Posted by CharlesS

THANKS guys! The top and bottom ones were not such mysteries as to their origins, but the middle one was a mystery. Thanks again for the input. I do lean towards a Laotian or Vietnamese origin, and am glad to see that I was not far off.

Any thoughts on the pointed tip of the "spatula blade"...it seems just enough to make the sword a stabber(quite sharp!), and may not be merely ornamental. You'd be hard pressed to find a better balanced dha than that one.

....now, with dhas on the brain, I am off for some 'Larb Gai'....

Charles, it's called "hua bua", and apparantly the style dates back to the Ayutthaya period. While it has some age, I don't think your sword is quite that old, however. Similar tips appear on many Thai "priest knives".

I tend to think that stabbing ability in any dha/darb is a secondary consideration. Some are better suited to it than others, but dha are not primarily stabbing weapons. The tip on that one is probably a stylistic nod to older forms.

By the way, that's my absolute favorite of the three.

[Rick]

Originally Posted by nechesh

hmmm. You know, i might be starting to see something in all this dha nonsense.

The way these two jokers have driven the market prices up you'd need a second mortgage to afford a decent example these days .

[Andrew]

Originally Posted by Rick

The way these two jokers have driven the market prices up you'd need a second mortgage to afford a decent example these days .

[fearn]

You got it, Rick. I keep hoping they'll let the rest of us bid on some of the lower end, working-class dhas (not tourist, *working*). I'm okay with wood handles, brass, and rattan, but this irrational exuberance and hoarding thing is getting a bit scary.

Otherwise, Andrew, I hope you make (made?) it through the latest hurricane okay. I wonder the hua bua tip is less for stabbing and more for ripping???

F

[RhysMichael]

I can only add my envy to that of the others here. Wonderful swords. Congratulations and thanks for sharing them