Burma Naval Dha??

aiontay · 17th October 2010, 11:12 PM

I'm afraid I can't say anything about the dha, beyond the observation that in the early 20th century Burma was a British colony and then was occupied by the Japanese during WWII. Any naval force would have been under one of those two navies until 1949.

carlitobrigante · 18th October 2010, 12:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aiontay

I'm afraid I can't say anything about the dha, beyond the observation that in the early 20th century Burma was a British colony and then was occupied by the Japanese during WWII. Any naval force would have been under one of those two navies until 1949.

Hi Aiontay, thanks for the input. I was aware of that, guess I meant 'local burmese naval forces under control of the British or Japanese' as i dont think this one dates back to the late 19th century before us Brits came a knocking.

I imagine though any coastal / river units that Myanmar did have at the time of the occupation were not simply replaced with British / Japanese forces, and would likely continue to be used?

There must have been quite a few boats used for river patrols etc which were still manned by Burmese and controlled by local government?

I figure though those are questions that will be impossible to answer due to the lack of any written evidence or records. My main reason for posting was to see if anyone else has come across this anchor mark elsewhere and if so give details on the blade it was adorning. If its a makers mark or a naval insignia i would have thought it would have turned up elsewhere previously?

Dmitry · 18th October 2010, 12:22 AM

The other possibility might be that it was a present/souvenir of a sailor of officer stationed there, or visiting those parts on a military cruise.

carlitobrigante · 18th October 2010, 12:38 AM

yeah good point Dmitry. I suppose aswell i shouldnt be so certain its early 20th century. Could be its older and its just had a re-wrapped hilt along with a newer scabbard?

aiontay · 18th October 2010, 03:02 AM

Yeah, I'd think a presentation blade might be what it is. As for local forces continuing on during the British colonial era, I'd rather doubt it. The British definitely did not recruit ethnic Burmans, and the Chin, Kachin, and Karen the British did recruit for the colonial army weren't seafaring cultures. The exception might be Karen, mainly Pwo, that lived in the delta, but I'm not aware of them having much of a maritime tradition. It is possible, but I doubt there were enough delta Karens to constitute much of a naval force.

Nathaniel · 18th October 2010, 03:17 AM

Interesting piece. Thanks for sharing Carlitobrigante

I don't know much about these, but they are very interesting. Just for reference this is the 2nd brass inlaid anchor dha I've seen

How long is the blade & handle? Thickness at the spine of the hilt?

aiontay · 18th October 2010, 03:50 AM

A couple of other points while I'm thinking about it. First, remember for the majority of time under British rule, Burma was administered as a province of India; it was not until the 1930s that is was split off, and even then, most of the colonial troops were from India. Consequently, any "native" weapons were as likely to be Indian as Burmese.

Second, historically the Burman cultural and political centers were in Upper Burma, for example Pagan and Mandalay. There was a good reason they weren't in Lower Burma. Lower Burma was a malarial swamp! It was only after an infusion of European capital and technology that the swamps were drained, allowing for the development of rice farming, fish farming and exploitation of the timber resources. This led to a major demographic, economic, and political shift in Burma from Upper Burma to Lower Burma. Consequently, any local boats on the water (including Pwo Karen) would likely be a result of colonial administration, not a carry over from earlier times. About the only exception to this would be among the Mon an in the Tenassarim Division, but I am not aware of any colonial forces raised specifically among the Mon, and Tenassarim(sp?) has always been something of a backwater.

Andy Stevens · 18th October 2010, 04:29 PM

Hi Carlitobrigante,
We saw your dha and thought you might like to see what it used to look like! We had the age down as mid to late 19thC, see what you think from the pictures!
Andy

18th October 2010, 04:29 PM	#8
Andy Stevens Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: London Posts: 155	Hi Carlitobrigante, We saw your dha and thought you might like to see what it used to look like! We had the age down as mid to late 19thC, see what you think from the pictures! Andy Attached Images

17th October 2010, 11:12 PM	#1
aiontay Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 88	I'm afraid I can't say anything about the dha, beyond the observation that in the early 20th century Burma was a British colony and then was occupied by the Japanese during WWII. Any naval force would have been under one of those two navies until 1949.

18th October 2010, 12:22 AM	#3
Dmitry Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 607	The other possibility might be that it was a present/souvenir of a sailor of officer stationed there, or visiting those parts on a military cruise.

18th October 2010, 12:38 AM	#4
carlitobrigante Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Solihull, UK Posts: 81	yeah good point Dmitry. I suppose aswell i shouldnt be so certain its early 20th century. Could be its older and its just had a re-wrapped hilt along with a newer scabbard?

18th October 2010, 03:02 AM	#5
aiontay Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 88	Yeah, I'd think a presentation blade might be what it is. As for local forces continuing on during the British colonial era, I'd rather doubt it. The British definitely did not recruit ethnic Burmans, and the Chin, Kachin, and Karen the British did recruit for the colonial army weren't seafaring cultures. The exception might be Karen, mainly Pwo, that lived in the delta, but I'm not aware of them having much of a maritime tradition. It is possible, but I doubt there were enough delta Karens to constitute much of a naval force.

18th October 2010, 03:17 AM	#6
Nathaniel Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 865	Interesting piece. Thanks for sharing Carlitobrigante I don't know much about these, but they are very interesting. Just for reference this is the 2nd brass inlaid anchor dha I've seen How long is the blade & handle? Thickness at the spine of the hilt?

18th October 2010, 03:50 AM	#7
aiontay Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 88	A couple of other points while I'm thinking about it. First, remember for the majority of time under British rule, Burma was administered as a province of India; it was not until the 1930s that is was split off, and even then, most of the colonial troops were from India. Consequently, any "native" weapons were as likely to be Indian as Burmese. Second, historically the Burman cultural and political centers were in Upper Burma, for example Pagan and Mandalay. There was a good reason they weren't in Lower Burma. Lower Burma was a malarial swamp! It was only after an infusion of European capital and technology that the swamps were drained, allowing for the development of rice farming, fish farming and exploitation of the timber resources. This led to a major demographic, economic, and political shift in Burma from Upper Burma to Lower Burma. Consequently, any local boats on the water (including Pwo Karen) would likely be a result of colonial administration, not a carry over from earlier times. About the only exception to this would be among the Mon an in the Tenassarim Division, but I am not aware of any colonial forces raised specifically among the Mon, and Tenassarim(sp?) has always been something of a backwater.