Simple dha

[Marc M.]

Okay, my first dha. Little to no experience with it, other than having made some pedestals for it for clients. A broad interest seems nice but then more choices have to be made about what to do and what not to do. Therefore no specialization at all and know a bit more of everything, some more than others. Like this dha, seemed original and the simplicity appealed to me, kukri's have that too. Age no idea but suspect 20th century. What struck me in my search for comparative specimens is that the blade of most dha's end in a sharp point. This rounded one I did not come across other than on the forum a specimen by Ian Norman. As far as I have found Northern Thailand. Blade without marks but good quality and very sharp. Cleaned up and rust removed with sandpaper. The scabbard is varnished and the varnish is also under the string, the bands are silver, were black and polished with fine steel wool and a silver polishing cloth. Comments of course welcome.
Regards
Marc

[Sajen]

Hello Marc,

you are correct, it's junk, feel free to send it to me, I will dispose of it prfessionally for you!

Seriously, it's a very nice daab from the second half of the 19th century. More Laos than Northern Thailand. Keep in mind that the borders today have been different in the 19th/18th & 17th century.
It's a very nice daab, like said, feel free to send it to me.

Best regards,
Detlef

[Iain]

A nice dha, it may well be a bit older than 20th century and is a type that I don't personally really collect but have seen a few of over the years. The style is one that you can see in northern Thailand and Laos and they come with a variety of blade forms including rounded tips like this one. The rattan handle is usually lacquered, an effective way to keep it protected from water and the elements. The style of the scabbard mounts and the general fit and finish of the piece reminds me of pieces I've seen in use by various hill tribe groups. There was a lot of population migration during the 19th century and hill groups moving south into what is now parts of Laos and northern Thailand and this sword may well belong to one of those.

[Sajen]

Here my Husa Achang daab/dao with the same tip form.

[Iain]

Originally Posted by Sajen

Here my Husa Achang daab/dao with the same tip form.

That looks to have a bit of a 'point' on the tip, more of what I'd usually call a spear point tip. Like this one of mine.

[kronckew]

My 'rounded point Dha: the edge is razor sharp, as is that rounded tip. I would not want to be poked with it

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by Iain

That looks to have a bit of a 'point' on the tip, more of what I'd usually call a spear point tip. Like this one of mine.

Hi Iain,

You're right, of course, even if the "tip" of my sword isn't that distinctive.

Best regards,
Detlef

[Ian]

These rounded, rather spatulate forms of dha/daab are interesting. There is a fair bit of variety. There is also a form with a rounded tip and a small pointed protrusion. I have an example but need to dig it out of the archives.

Wayne, I was told by a well known British dealer in dha/daab that this blade form is found on old Thai machetes. I also have an example of this form and will post it here.

[Ian]

Here is the daab/daav with a rounded tip and protrusion. I would say it is 19th C and for some time I thought it was Cambodian because of the pointed toe to the scabbard. More recently, I have come to look at it as perhaps Thai in origin. The fittings are solid silver and heavy.
.

And here is the one similar to Krocke's example. This one has a round brass insert adjacent to the tip and is in a nice black lacquered scabbard. Pretty fancy for a "machete," but that is what I have been told this was used for. I would say this one is pre-1900 based on the condition of the balde and scabbard.
.

[kronckew]

Mine has no markings on the sides, but a fair number of cross-cuts on the rather thick spine's forte, distal tapering rapidly to the thin foible, two broad ones with brass inlays. I include another daab that belongs to a friend who says they are from Northern Thailand/Laos, mine is probably Thai.

[Marc M.]

Originally Posted by Sajen

Hello Marc,

you are correct, it's junk, feel free to send it to me, I will dispose of it prfessionally for you!

Seriously, it's a very nice daab from the second half of the 19th century. More Laos than Northern Thailand. Keep in mind that the borders today have been different in the 19th/18th & 17th century.
It's a very nice daab, like said, feel free to send it to me.

Best regards,
Detlef

Hi Detlef
Extremely sympathetic that you want to help defuse that terribly dangerous thing, imagine if I cut my finger. But I have a 5 kg sledgehammer to smash that thing flat and the local recycling park is happy to see me coming. We get to laugh already.
Seriously now, thanks for the response and amazed that the dha would be 19th century. Given the good condition not expected but pleased. A good start.

Regards
Marc

[Marc M.]

Originally Posted by Iain

That looks to have a bit of a 'point' on the tip, more of what I'd usually call a spear point tip. Like this one of mine.

Hi Ian
This is the sword I mean previously posted by you and served as an example, did not notice the spear point like shape though. Thanks for the provenance and estimate age, older than I thought.Other than the silver piece at the end of the scabbard that is missing the dha is in good condition.
regards
Marc

[Marc M.]

Hi Kronckew and Ian, thanks for posting your specimens, the more variations on the forum the better. Kronckew's friend's example is very similar to mine and the end of the scabbard present. Cool.
Regards
Marc

[Iain]

Originally Posted by Marc M.

Hi Ian
This is the sword I mean previously posted by you and served as an example, did not notice the spear point like shape though. Thanks for the provenance and estimate age, older than I thought.Other than the silver piece at the end of the scabbard that is missing the dha is in good condition.
regards
Marc

As others have indicated there really are a lot of varieties of "rounded" tip dhas. I'm attaching another couple just as examples. As you can see this covers a wide range of hilting styles, handle materials, blade styles etc and they are all subtly different.

In relation to Ian's comments about "machetes", from my own experiences in the region, a variety of working knives and tools can be found, including rounded tips, square tips etc. In earlier periods larger sword like examples were common practical things to carry on a daily basis and still are in some areas. I can say from personal experience you need a good blade on you in a lot of southeast Asia for the simple necessity of moving through the terrain let alone the host of other practical applications required throughout a day.

Of course with silver fittings yours Marc would be more upmarket, but the point is that there is a thin line sometimes between a dha being only a weapon and being a tool as well, although I think yours is very much on the weapon side of things.

[SidJ]

Here is one of mine. Termed a Tai lue dha. This one has a relatively long blade and tip is both sweet up and down to create a somewhat spear point shape.

[Marc M.]

Originally Posted by Iain

As others have indicated there really are a lot of varieties of "rounded" tip dhas. I'm attaching another couple just as examples. As you can see this covers a wide range of hilting styles, handle materials, blade styles etc and they are all subtly different.

In relation to Ian's comments about "machetes", from my own experiences in the region, a variety of working knives and tools can be found, including rounded tips, square tips etc. In earlier periods larger sword like examples were common practical things to carry on a daily basis and still are in some areas. I can say from personal experience you need a good blade on you in a lot of southeast Asia for the simple necessity of moving through the terrain let alone the host of other practical applications required throughout a day.

Of course with silver fittings yours Marc would be more upmarket, but the point is that there is a thin line sometimes between a dha being only a weapon and being a tool as well, although I think yours is very much on the weapon side of things.

Is it correct to assume that bearers of these types of weapons are/were krabi krabong practitioners?
Regards
Marc

[Iain]

Originally Posted by Marc M.

Is it correct to assume that bearers of these types of weapons are/were krabi krabong practitioners?
Regards
Marc

I would probably hesitate to apply a general term like that to all dha/daab users. Perhaps a better way to phrase it would be that certainly those within the standing militaries and palace structures (meaning also regional power centers) of the time had training in martial arts and sword work. Those in more rural areas, perhaps less so focused on just swords but certainly would have engaged in muay thai. Fights were common for entertainment and training purposes.

There were to my understanding a wide variety of local styles, schools, and techniques adapted to the many varieties of swords we see in the region. But I think generally it's safe to say that a bodyguard to a local ruler or governor certainly spent more time training than say, someone engaged as a caravan guard.

Modern krabi krabong is an amalgamation of styles and techniques, and I am far from knowledgeable on the subtleties of what differentiates it from older techniques, but I understand there are substantial differences.

[Marc M.]

Originally Posted by Iain

I would probably hesitate to apply a general term like that to all dha/daab users. Perhaps a better way to phrase it would be that certainly those within the standing militaries and palace structures (meaning also regional power centers) of the time had training in martial arts and sword work. Those in more rural areas, perhaps less so focused on just swords but certainly would have engaged in muay thai. Fights were common for entertainment and training purposes.

There were to my understanding a wide variety of local styles, schools, and techniques adapted to the many varieties of swords we see in the region. But I think generally it's safe to say that a bodyguard to a local ruler or governor certainly spent more time training than say, someone engaged as a caravan guard.

Modern krabi krabong is an amalgamation of styles and techniques, and I am far from knowledgeable on the subtleties of what differentiates it from older techniques, but I understand there are substantial differences.

Thanks Ian, My first and main interest is Congo weapons. That each boy was trained from a certain age in Congo to be a warrior and initiated into everything a man needed to know and be able to survive in a harsh and dangerous living environment. The handling of different weapons was covered and man to man combat, often wrestling techniques. From that standpoint I assumed that in South East Asia there might have been similar structures in the education of boy to man. If you walk around with a sword/machete every day you better be able to handle it.
Regards
Marc

[Iain]

Originally Posted by Marc M.

Thanks Ian, My first and main interest is Congo weapons. That each boy was trained from a certain age in Congo to be a warrior and initiated into everything a man needed to know and be able to survive in a harsh and dangerous living environment. The handling of different weapons was covered and man to man combat, often wrestling techniques. From that standpoint I assumed that in South East Asia there might have been similar structures in the education of boy to man. If you walk around with a sword/machete every day you better be able to handle it.
Regards
Marc

Broadly speaking yes, and that continues into the modern day, its amazing what you can accomplish with a working knife or dha, a bit of bamboo, rattan etc.

[Marc M.]

Originally Posted by Iain

Broadly speaking yes, and that continues into the modern day, its amazing what you can accomplish with a working knife or dha, a bit of bamboo, rattan etc.

When I was a fresh twenty-something, young, agile and fast, I practiced Pencak silat an Indonesian martial art, participated in competitions and demonstrations. At one of those demonstration galas there was also a krabi krabong/ muy thai and escrima demonstration both of which were very impressive and left a lasting impression.
Who knows, maybe I'll pick it up again now that I'm in my early sixties.
Regards
Marc

[Iain]

Originally Posted by Marc M.

When I was a fresh twenty-something, young, agile and fast, I practiced Pencak silat an Indonesian martial art, participated in competitions and demonstrations. At one of those demonstration galas there was also a krabi krabong/ muy thai and escrima demonstration both of which were very impressive and left a lasting impression.
Who knows, maybe I'll pick it up again now that I'm in my early sixties.
Regards
Marc

There are certainly plenty of serious practitioners in Thailand and the surrounding countries who have preserved the history and culture of their martial arts. I am not involved in martial arts myself but also find it impressive for sure!