Hi Peter,
Quite so. The *Shan
dha are shorter and lighter than the Burman swords to which you refer. Shan
dha were considered by many to be among the best fighting swords in SE Asia, with excellent blades. That some Burman preferred a heavier style or a longer blade may simply be preference, but the Shan provided
dha for many ethnic groups throughout Burma, including Burmans, Kachin, and Karens, as well as into northern Thailand and Laos, and even as far north as Assam and neighboring states in NE India.
My personal preference would be a good Shan
dha over one of the fancy Mandalay
dha if I had to pick one to fight with. But then I know little about actual sword fighting.
*Strictly speaking, the Shan are Burmese since most of them live in the Shan States within the old Kingdom of Burma (now Myanmar). Of course, they are not ethnically Burman
(Bama). Shan did fight with the Burmese forces raised by the King for various wars.