Kukri

Pieje · 3rd July 2017, 05:38 PM

Hi guys,

I recently bought this Kukri knife for only a couple of euros.
Seems OK, handle has some patina, but blade is lacking the fuller and I know there exist many copies on the market.
Knife measures 39cm.

Tourist piece of authentic?

Berkley · 3rd July 2017, 10:22 PM

The overall design and ornamentation of your kukri are consistent with those manufactured by the considerable Nepalese population in the Darjeeling region of India, any time from the early 1930s to the early 1970s.
These are generally good, serviceable knives suited for use by the local populace. Of course, Darjeeling was an Allied R&R center in WWII, so a fair number found their way into the hands of uniformed “tourists” (who did not exactly fit the classical definition of “travelers for pleasure”). Such knives might well have been stashed under the co-pilot’s seat of a C47 flying over The Hump, or under the driver’s seat of a bulldozer scraping out a section of the Burma Road., later to make their way back to the west.

Pieje · 4th July 2017, 04:05 PM

Thank you!

3rd July 2017, 05:38 PM	#1
Pieje Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Belgium Posts: 132	Kukri Hi guys, I recently bought this Kukri knife for only a couple of euros. Seems OK, handle has some patina, but blade is lacking the fuller and I know there exist many copies on the market. Knife measures 39cm. Tourist piece of authentic? Attached Images

3rd July 2017, 10:22 PM	#2
Berkley Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Austin, Texas USA Posts: 257	The overall design and ornamentation of your kukri are consistent with those manufactured by the considerable Nepalese population in the Darjeeling region of India, any time from the early 1930s to the early 1970s. These are generally good, serviceable knives suited for use by the local populace. Of course, Darjeeling was an Allied R&R center in WWII, so a fair number found their way into the hands of uniformed “tourists” (who did not exactly fit the classical definition of “travelers for pleasure”). Such knives might well have been stashed under the co-pilot’s seat of a C47 flying over The Hump, or under the driver’s seat of a bulldozer scraping out a section of the Burma Road., later to make their way back to the west.

4th July 2017, 04:05 PM	#3
Pieje Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Belgium Posts: 132	Thank you!