Dha, dharb?? Regional ID, age??

[Ian]

Originally Posted by wilked aka Khun Deng

I've found very little in my research so far that would conflict with the Greaves/Winston classification system when it comes to the blades of Northern Thailand and Burma. ...

I have used darb in some posts as a term of reference because when I conducted interviews in Bangkok and Aranyik the term darb was the term used to reference all swords. All but Mrs. Nattapat were unfamiliar with the term dha. In my interview with her I noticed that she used the word darb for swords from central Thailand and dha for swords from Northern Thailand and Burma ...

The darb I've seen generally appear to have a thinner blade, at least they get substantially thinner as you move away from the hilt and are more flexible than the dha of northern Thailand and Burma (though I've never measured them). Those attributed to central Thailand had either a parallel blade profile or a more pronounced belly swell and while many of the common darb blades also have the simple three piece handle the better pieces don't show the same handle configuration rather they are multi-pieced segmented construction. Additonally Lung Som has told me that Thai blades (again meaning "central Thailand") have squared shoulders at the tang while the northern Thai and Burmese angle or are concave at the tang. With the limited number of blades that I have seen out of the handle that has held true. I'd like to know if anyone else has noticed this. While knowledge is still limited these are just general conclusions I've drawn - as yet unsubstantiated.

Dan:

Once more you have taken us beyond where we were. Bold emphasis is mine. These general observations are extremely helpful in locating the sites of manufacture and use more precisely. There is just no substitute for on the ground field intel. Thanks again.

Ian.

[kino]

Thank you for your replies. Not only did I learn something about the Dha's contruction, I also received a valuable lesson on the culture and the people that carried them. Ask and ye shall receive.