Another Naga Dao/Axe

[ariel]

You might be right. But the blade on mine had been cleaned ( see area bu the handle). Your handle does show age, and mine does not. But as I said, the handle on mine ( especially the rattan) looks new-ish: organic parts tend to rot and be replaced.

I have read the same info about the source of blades as mentioned by David ( was it in Rawson?). I have never thought about the laminations being used for dating, but it sounds interesting and intriguing.

[Ian]

Originally Posted by ariel

... I have read the same info about the source of blades as mentioned by David ( was it in Rawson?). ...

Yes, that was from Rawson. He showed an example in his book. I think Rawson attributes the steel to stolen hoe blades. British tea plantations in Assam and neighboring areas began in the 18th C. These areas are generally considered "iron-poor" so a lot of recycling of old iron/steel occurred, and many weapons were imported from neighboring and distant tribal groups, including the Burmese, Shan, Kachin/Lisu and Achang.

[drac2k]

Any comments on my Dao? I feel that my post has been visited by a cuckoo bird, LOL.

[David R]

Originally Posted by drac2k

Any comments on my Dao? I feel that my post has been visited by a cuckoo bird, LOL.

Most comments have been about your Dao with side references to Dao in general. Truly there is not that much that can be said about about a generic example of a generic weapon.

[colin henshaw]

Originally Posted by drac2k

Any comments on my Dao? I feel that my post has been visited by a cuckoo bird, LOL.

Its a nice dao, I particularly like the red-dyed rattan and goat hair. These Naga/Assam daos come in different varieties and yours is a good example of its type.

[drac2k]

Thanks, Colin. There seems to be a significant variation in the length of the handles on these; is there any particular reason for this?

[colin henshaw]

Originally Posted by drac2k

Thanks, Colin. There seems to be a significant variation in the length of the handles on these; is there any particular reason for this?

Presumably, if the blade length was shorter (maybe due to iron availability), a longer handle would be required to get a better swing at the target...

It could also be just a matter of style tradition within that particular tribal group; it should be remembered that tribal peoples in the historic period were often very conservative regarding their material culture.

[drac2k]

It seems that things tend to come in bunches; here is another Naga Dao that recently became available to me. It is different from the previous one listed in that it has a ridge across the blade on one side; maybe vestiges of a repurposed tool.