Burmese dha use question

[JeffS]

Thank you for clearing up the use question for me, it has been nagging me for awhile! Also interesting about the Husa. They are selling impressive looking watered steel blades with distinct hamon on Ebay, so apparently the tradition is going strong. If reworked, the tip on the dha is very cleanly executed and nicely radiused.

[Peter Dekker]

I agree that it is probably reshaped.

The Chinese Shan/Dai minority also made them with this profile from the get-go, but the rest of the dha is not typical Chinese Shan/Dai work. Such swords usually don't have a groove, for example, and their tips are thinner in thickness. But who knows, maybe someone from that minority purchased and altered the tip to their taste.

For comparison, here is an otherwise quite similar piece I had with a date on it. This was probably the original shape of yours, looking at the groove. I think yours is probably roughly from the same period.
https://mandarinmansion.com/item/burmese-dha-dated-1928

For reference I add a photo of a more typical Chinese Shan/Dai piece. Characteristic for this culture, spread over Burma and Yunnan, are the large garlic shaped pommel, the style of the silverwork, and the blade profile.

Peter

[Ian]

Hi Peter:

The politics of the Shan people and the Burmese Government are complicated, and many Shan who live in the Shan States of Burma have been seeking independence for a long time. They reside also in neighboring Yunnan and northern Thailand. As you note, the Shan are excellent silversmiths and they make fine blades as well. Typically, their blades have no fuller. The blades with fullers and koftgari work are Burman in origin, and the koftgari art was likely introduced to Burma by Indian craftsmen in the 19th C or perhaps earlier. [Longstanding trade between India and Burma is documented, and during the British occupation of Burma in the 19th and 20th C it was administered by the Viceroy of India.]

The dha examples with extensive silver koftgari often depict historical tales from Burmese mythology, while others show more abstract designs with flowing vines and leaves. The more elaborate versions have silver koftgari the whole length of the blade. These high quality swords are sometimes called Mandalay dha, after their assumed place of manufacture. They were produced mainly in the second half of the 19th C. and first 20–30 years of the 20th C.

Related to these fine swords are inferior examples featuring brass-covered hilts and scabbards that appeared in the early 20th C. Early examples were fair quality but they quickly deteriorated into cheap tourist items. They have coarser koftgari work and the blades are of poor quality, often untempered--these are entirely for display and are sometimes referred to as "story dha." Examples of these inferior forms show up online fairly regularly.

Attached are pictures of two high quality, 19th C dha with silver koftgari work that were exhibited in the Museum of Macau's History of Steel.


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[Peter Dekker]

Thanks for sharing, Ian! I recall these from the catalog of that exhibit.

Over the years I also own and have owned some of these finer silver overlaid dha and my research has lead me to the village of Mindan in Yamethin district. Several gazetteers mention Mindan as the only place where such work was done at the time.

Some excerpts:

"The inlaid dha and dagger blades of Mindan near Yamèthin are well-known. The dhas are inlaid in gold, silver and brass."

-Gazetteer of Upper Burma and the Shan states. 1901.

And:

"Of the 26,221 workers and dependents shown in the census returns under the head of workers in iron and hardware, few can have been capable of executing anything more than the coarsest blacksmith's work. An exception must, however, be made in favour of the forgers of the inlaid knife-blades produced in Yamethin District, some of whose work is really meritorious."

-Imperial Gazzetteer of India, Provincial Series, Burma Vol 1. 1908.

Here's an article I wrote about one of the makers, Maung Pyo who was the 7th generation worker in the art, which was handed down from father to son:

https://www.mandarinmansion.com/glossary/saya-pyo

Assuming roughly 20-30 years for a generation, it started about 120-180 years prior, from around the 1720s to 1780s perhaps.

Now when looking at the nature of the koftgari, what strikes me is that on the Burmese dha the entire surface is crosshatched and the designs are then drawn with mostly silver wire after which the surface is blackened for contrast. Classic Indian work tends to only crosshatch that area which is to be covered with gold, not the larger surface.

The crosshatching of larger surfaces and then "drawing" with the wire was quite common on the cartouches on Ottoman swords, and they use the same blackening to make the design stand out. In the early 18th century, many Burmese port officials were in fact Armenian. (See for example "The Muslims of Burma" by Moshe Yegar, 1972.) So I wonder whether it may have come from that angle instead.

I agree most of the later ones are only a faint reflection of what they used to be in Yamethin's heydays. That 1928 dated dha I had however was still decently made and still had a pretty heavy "user" blade, showing the manufacture of serious dha for local consumption did carry on for decades into the 20th century.

[Ian]

Thanks Peter. Your research is very interesting. I have read your article previously. Ottoman and Indo-Persian koftgari are subtle in their differences, but as you say there may have been some Ottoman influence at work in Burma. I believe that I read in Scott's writings on the History of Burma, and his time as an administrator there during the 19th C, that Indian influence in various Burmese arts and industries was longstanding also. However, it's some time since I read Scott and my recollection may be off.

I do think that the production of high quality Burman dha with silver or gold koftgari (and occasional niello), while never highly prolific, reached its height in the mid-late 19th C perhaps due in part to an increased demand from affluent British residents. Most of the examples we see appear to have been made in the second half of the 19th C and early 20th C. Older examples are hard to identify conclusively, although there are probably well documented pieces in Myanmar. Unfortunately, it is not the easiest place to visit and explore the history of dha. I tried unsuccessfully to obtain a visa 20 years ago and again 12 years ago.

I note that Yamethin district is within the Mandalay Region, so your information fits with the attribution of these swords to Mandalay.

[JeffS]

Thanks Peter. I enjoy your site and have learned much reading the articles.

The quote from Sir Charles Alexander Gordon (1877) from the link you posted indicates, at that time, the dha was anecdotally commonly used in local disputes. He seems to be including Burmese across the range of social status in the statment. In this case the "fancy" dha would continue to function as a weapon intended for use rather than just as a fashion or cultural prop. How much this would change from late 19th to early 20th C is not clear to me but perhaps the decline in dha quality follows a decline in the acceptability or stronger legal consequences for using dha as a weapon during disputes.

[Peter Dekker]

I do think that the production of high quality Burman dha with silver or gold koftgari (and occasional niello), while never highly prolific, reached its height in the mid-late 19th C perhaps due in part to an increased demand from affluent British residents. Most of the examples we see appear to have been made in the second half of the 19th C and early 20th C. Older examples are hard to identify conclusively, although there are probably well documented pieces in Myanmar.

I agree, those I've seen with dates on them all seem to be made circa 1880-1930. I've only had one such dha of which everything seemed to indicate it was a quite a bit older than the rest. Bicolor blade overlays, the handle completely made of iron (it was magnetic throughout). Also the hilt shape with its more pronounced b end in the hilt itself felt earlier. How early, I have no idea, but my gut says it could be late 18th to early 19th century. I add a photo.

What we are observing is perhaps survivor bias: Their manufacture was well known among the British by the last decades of the 19th century. Many were probably purchased or even commissioned by them to bring home as souvernirs. I've had one with the name of a British surgeon that served in Burma from at least 1882 to his retirement in 1908. Not coincidentally, almost all of these dha today can ultimately be traced back to the UK antique art market where they still keep turning up.

(Dha making was probably as prolific in neighboring Thailand but without as many foreigners working and residing there, very few were brought to the Western world and local humid climate and neglect probably did the rest.)

perhaps the decline in dha quality follows a decline in the acceptability or stronger legal consequences for using dha as a weapon during disputes.

Yes, quite possibly. Also, the use of large swords like that seemed to have declined throughout Asia with the coming of more affordable firearms.

[Ian]

Originally Posted by JeffS

... perhaps the decline in dha quality follows a decline in the acceptability or stronger legal consequences for using dha as a weapon during disputes.

Jeff, I don't think so. The "quality" of dha used for fighting is different from the"quality" we see in these high end, decorative examples. The blades of "fighting dha" vary widely, but are generally much lighter than these fancy decorative ones--particular care is given to tempering and sharpness of the blade, and the hilts are utilitarian aimed at the overall balance of the weapon and maintaining a good grip. Given a choice, someone engaged in a duel would choose a "fighting dha" rather than one of these beautiful pieces. That's not to say that these decorative examples are not usable for defense, but they are not what I would stake my life on if given a choice.