Thai or burmese Dha dagger

Ian · 27th March 2021, 10:21 PM

Hi CNK1:

Your question seems simple but, like so many questions about edged weapons in SE Asia, the answer is not so simple.

The silver work, especially the design of the sheath and its filigree work, is almost certainly Shan in manufacture. Now, the (largely autonomous) Shan States are located in Burma/Myanmar geographically, but ethnically and culturally the Shan are related to the "Tai" peoples of northern Thailand, Laos, and southern Yunnan. So the title of your post is correct, depending on how you look at the geographic/ethnic/cultural relationships of the Shan.

A shorter conventional answer to your question, based on the views of Western collectors: the style of this type of dagger is often referred to as "Burmese" (meaning coming from Burma/Myanmar, rather than being of Burman origin) and called a dha hmyaung.

Ian

27th March 2021, 10:21 PM	#2
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,396	Hi CNK1: Your question seems simple but, like so many questions about edged weapons in SE Asia, the answer is not so simple. The silver work, especially the design of the sheath and its filigree work, is almost certainly Shan in manufacture. Now, the (largely autonomous) Shan States are located in Burma/Myanmar geographically, but ethnically and culturally the Shan are related to the "Tai" peoples of northern Thailand, Laos, and southern Yunnan. So the title of your post is correct, depending on how you look at the geographic/ethnic/cultural relationships of the Shan. A shorter conventional answer to your question, based on the views of Western collectors: the style of this type of dagger is often referred to as "Burmese" (meaning coming from Burma/Myanmar, rather than being of Burman origin) and called a dha hmyaung. Ian