Piha Kaetta (not European)

derek · 24th May 2005, 12:51 PM

Thanks, Mike.

Here is a little info about the stylus, obtained from Mr. Mohan Daniel, a Sri Lankan collector and gallery owner:

"The stylus is a 'ULKATUVA' used to train a student to write on a palm leaf. Once he is trained he is permitted to use a different type of stylus the 'PANHINDA'."

He also notes that a "student" was not necessarily a youth. In fact, this would not likely be the case as these knives were made for the Kandyan kings and worn by them or other chiefs.

tom hyle · 24th May 2005, 01:03 PM

The swept back point is unusual; more usual is a somewhat saxlike tip that angles down from the spine to the cutting edge? Consequently, the sheath's tip is also "backwards" to the usual orientation.

derek · 24th May 2005, 02:16 PM

Hi Tom,

I don't know which is more common, but this style is usually smaller than other styles (note the exception to the far left), and is the only style I have seen with a stylus. I have seen some allusion to sinhalese terms for the various shapes and styles, but I haven't quite worked that out. Here is an "assortment":

tom hyle · 25th May 2005, 02:20 AM

thanks.

Conogre · 27th May 2005, 02:27 AM

A grouping like that is truly impressive, as well as beautiful.
It must be frustrating to specialize in a type of bladed implement where there is so little known, compared to other cultures that have much more information readily available, but I imagine this also adds to the challenge somewhat.
How much have you seen the information on these expanded in the time that you've been collecting them, if I might ask?
Mike

derek · 27th May 2005, 05:31 AM

Hi Mike,

Not a lot. Jim has dug up two very good articles. I have located two books, both very old and rare (one was used by Christie's for their description of the piha in a catalogue), and some very good collections & examples. Maskell used to have one of the biggest collections I have known about. I have heard about a private collection in Europe that has not been photographed or displayed that has over 200 examples. I have 18. Rod has several very good examples. But the examples don't equate to knowledge. I started pihakaetta.com to see what I could gather and disseminate, but it's not been high priority lately. I was surprised at how few Sri Lankans I spoke to had even a basic knowledge about them. I made a lot of phone calls to dealers/gallery owners and professors, and sent a lot of emails and got a few nuggets of information for the effort. Everything I have is on the site, with the exception of one article that I think I will break down and scan in now. I've been putting it off, but it's too good not to include and share. I think I'll do it now..............
-d

derek · 27th May 2005, 07:58 AM

Well,
It's almost 3am and I scanned the whole article and loaded it here:
http://www.pihakaetta.com/info.php

It is entitled: Sinhala Weapons and Armor and it is a VERY big PDF, so I recommend right-clicking and saving if you don't want to drag your browser down too badly.

Also, it was sanned from copies made previously. It's very readable, but it ain't pretty.

It is a fascinating article with some insights on all aspects of Ceylonese weaponry, but there are some especially interesting explanations of pihiyas. Once again, there is evidence to suggest that the term piha kaetta is erroneously applied to all these knives.

going to sleep now......

-d

24th May 2005, 12:51 PM	#1
derek Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 215	Thanks, Mike. Here is a little info about the stylus, obtained from Mr. Mohan Daniel, a Sri Lankan collector and gallery owner: "The stylus is a 'ULKATUVA' used to train a student to write on a palm leaf. Once he is trained he is permitted to use a different type of stylus the 'PANHINDA'." He also notes that a "student" was not necessarily a youth. In fact, this would not likely be the case as these knives were made for the Kandyan kings and worn by them or other chiefs.

24th May 2005, 01:03 PM	#2
tom hyle Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Houston, TX, USA Posts: 1,254	The swept back point is unusual; more usual is a somewhat saxlike tip that angles down from the spine to the cutting edge? Consequently, the sheath's tip is also "backwards" to the usual orientation.

24th May 2005, 02:16 PM	#3
derek Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 215	Hi Tom, I don't know which is more common, but this style is usually smaller than other styles (note the exception to the far left), and is the only style I have seen with a stylus. I have seen some allusion to sinhalese terms for the various shapes and styles, but I haven't quite worked that out. Here is an "assortment":

25th May 2005, 02:20 AM	#4
tom hyle Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Houston, TX, USA Posts: 1,254	thanks.

27th May 2005, 02:27 AM	#5
Conogre Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Clearwater, Florida Posts: 371	A grouping like that is truly impressive, as well as beautiful. It must be frustrating to specialize in a type of bladed implement where there is so little known, compared to other cultures that have much more information readily available, but I imagine this also adds to the challenge somewhat. How much have you seen the information on these expanded in the time that you've been collecting them, if I might ask? Mike

27th May 2005, 05:31 AM	#6
derek Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 215	Hi Mike, Not a lot. Jim has dug up two very good articles. I have located two books, both very old and rare (one was used by Christie's for their description of the piha in a catalogue), and some very good collections & examples. Maskell used to have one of the biggest collections I have known about. I have heard about a private collection in Europe that has not been photographed or displayed that has over 200 examples. I have 18. Rod has several very good examples. But the examples don't equate to knowledge. I started pihakaetta.com to see what I could gather and disseminate, but it's not been high priority lately. I was surprised at how few Sri Lankans I spoke to had even a basic knowledge about them. I made a lot of phone calls to dealers/gallery owners and professors, and sent a lot of emails and got a few nuggets of information for the effort. Everything I have is on the site, with the exception of one article that I think I will break down and scan in now. I've been putting it off, but it's too good not to include and share. I think I'll do it now.............. -d

27th May 2005, 07:58 AM	#7
derek Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 215	Well, It's almost 3am and I scanned the whole article and loaded it here: http://www.pihakaetta.com/info.php It is entitled: Sinhala Weapons and Armor and it is a VERY big PDF, so I recommend right-clicking and saving if you don't want to drag your browser down too badly. Also, it was sanned from copies made previously. It's very readable, but it ain't pretty. It is a fascinating article with some insights on all aspects of Ceylonese weaponry, but there are some especially interesting explanations of pihiyas. Once again, there is evidence to suggest that the term piha kaetta is erroneously applied to all these knives. going to sleep now...... -d