Pacific Islander knife?

Ian · 7th April 2024, 05:20 PM

ausjulius, you may be right about northern Burma. There is another group that has used a similar scabbard construction, with aluminum strips around a wooden scabbard, and that is the Hmong/Miao people of the Vietnamese/Lao/Cambodian highlands. Their knife has a clipped point also but tends to be wider in the belly than the example shown, as many knives are from that region. The hilt treatment also would be a little unusual for Hmong construction, but nevertheless a possibility.

Andrew, if your scabbard is original to the knife, then the knife has not seen much use. That makes dating a bit more difficult. It does appear to have some age, although hard to tell from the pictures. The misleading tag could be incorrect, and it's possible this piece was a bring back from the Vietnam War rather than WWII, in which case a Hmong/Miao origin would be more likely. Distinguishing between a 50+ year-old knife and an 80 year-old knife is not always possible, especially from pictures.

Andrew, does the blade have a fuller? Some Burmese blades do have a wide fuller.

7th April 2024, 05:20 PM	#5
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,041	ausjulius, you may be right about northern Burma. There is another group that has used a similar scabbard construction, with aluminum strips around a wooden scabbard, and that is the Hmong/Miao people of the Vietnamese/Lao/Cambodian highlands. Their knife has a clipped point also but tends to be wider in the belly than the example shown, as many knives are from that region. The hilt treatment also would be a little unusual for Hmong construction, but nevertheless a possibility. Andrew, if your scabbard is original to the knife, then the knife has not seen much use. That makes dating a bit more difficult. It does appear to have some age, although hard to tell from the pictures. The misleading tag could be incorrect, and it's possible this piece was a bring back from the Vietnam War rather than WWII, in which case a Hmong/Miao origin would be more likely. Distinguishing between a 50+ year-old knife and an 80 year-old knife is not always possible, especially from pictures. Andrew, does the blade have a fuller? Some Burmese blades do have a wide fuller. Last edited by Ian; 7th April 2024 at 05:33 PM.