Laotian Blades?

JayGoliath

JayGoliath

Joined
Mar 27, 2010
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Recently i went off for a week-long vacation at Hua Hin, District of Prachuap Khiri Khan, Thailand.
It was a refreshing trip with fantastic beaches, baby soft sands and peace of mind but what were really interesting are the blades I acquired accidentally on my way there;
karte-6-934.gif

During a stop at Langsuan, district of Chumpon there were 2 Siamese man who sell blades by roadside and the magnetic side of mine just had to get sucked into the action.
They claimed to originate from Nakhon Pranom, North-east of Thailand as well as the closest neighbor to Laos. History taught us that during the on-going war many of Laos smiths immigrated to Thailand and my assumption is that these blades must have been heavily influenced by Laos culture.
Burmese Dha? Mind the dirt on the blade as i went to test the blade on some backyard bushes.
BurmeseDha.jpg

Butt of Dha
Otop4.jpg


Naga Dao with Nepalese Kora shadow?
Otop1.jpg

The smith has “ OTOP” insignia.
Otop2.jpg

oTOP6.jpg

Naga Spine engraving on all 3 blades:
SpineEngraving.jpg


Spine thickness at ~ to 9mm thick.
SpineThickness.jpg


This is as close as I can get but it’s all associated with Myanmar rather than Laos.
230-mib26.jpg


I picked those with “torched look” for differentially hardened qualities.
Otop5.jpg


More infos here:
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=2863
http://www.arscives.com/historysteel/continentalsea.swordlist.htm

OAL of Dha is 25" with 2 remaining Naga blades at 23".

Steve Ferguson posted on the forums so i believed he would be up soon to share some really valuable infos.
Anyone with interest or stories about these blades please enlightens us.
 
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I just found that the OTOP blades are made in Aranyik.

Aranyik Village
Location : Amhoe Nakhon Luang
The name "Aranyik" is traditionally related to the history of the Ayutthaya period, when wars were fought in hand-to-hand battles. Aranyik village emerged as a place where sword smiths specialized in battle swords worked. To this day, Aranyik Village remains at the forefront as the country’s leading producer of hand made, high-quality knives and swords.

Now also noted for its five-star OTOP products, Aranyik has diversified its product range to suit modern-day markets and requirements. Cutlery, dinnerware and other table accessories are produced and exported. These represent another great tradition that thrives even in modern times.

Production is in the villages of Ban Ton Pho and Ban Pai Nong. However, the OTOP Village is located at Ban Sarai, Tha Chang Sub-District, Nakhon Luang District. It is here that visitors can take a closer look at how Aranyik knives and other related products and made while exploring the villagers’ remarkably charming traditional way of life. Homestay accommodation is available.
Handicrafted Aranyik Knife Villages
Location : Amhoe Nakhon Luang
Background Ban Ton Pho and Ban Phai Nong are two densely populated villages in Tambon Tha Chang, Amphoe Nakhon Luang, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya. Both have been widely recognized for nearly 200 years as a major source of the country’s hand-made knife products.
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Man, very interesting. Do you suppose they are for clearing and harvesting given the shapes? Probably a dumb question on my part but I really find the shape interesting.
 
OTOP is a program that I believe started in Japan--it stands for One Town, One Product, and is a government initiative to promote local crafts and products. In Thai, it's One Tambon, One Product. The forge may be receiving financial assistance from the government of Thailand. Aranyik is the big place for knifemaking in Thailand, and that one darb-looking knife absolutely looks like a commercial piece from there.
 
jayinhk said:
OTOP is a program that I believe started in Japan--it stands for One Town, One Product, and is a government initiative to promote local crafts and products. In Thai, it's One Tambon, One Product. The forge may be receiving financial assistance from the government of Thailand. Aranyik is the big place for knifemaking in Thailand, and that one darb-looking knife absolutely looks like a commercial piece from there.
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Agree Jay. I found a thread from a forumite name Nathaniel at Vikingswords who quoted this:
Oh, yes, Aranyik smiths are actually from Laos originally...

http://www.chiangmai-mail.com/087/tours.shtml

"Ayutthaya province has also become known for its OTOP (One Tambon One Product) goods, such as handmade Aranyik swords and kitchenware. The swords are produced at Tahchang by people originally from Laos. “The Aranyik sword is a popular souvenir from Ayutthaya, while the popular tourist attractions are the local cultures and traditions, buildings, elephant riding, and bicycling to view Ayutthaya town,” he said."

http://www.cozun.com/Aranyik.htm

"Although the craftsmen origins are traceable back to Laotian ancestors from Vientiane, their skill and methods to work the sword materials incorporate several Japanese techniques."


http://ilwc.aru.ac.th/Contents/ArtC...rtCraftEng2.htm

"When talking about good quality knives, most Thai people think of “Aranyik knives” that are bought from Aranyik village in Tha Reu District, Ayutthaya . Few people know the truth that Ban Aranyik is not the place that produces Aranyik knives, but it is the name of the market and the gambling house. One of the most outstanding products is “Knives”. The villagers from Ban Pai Nong and Ban Ton Pho, Nakorn Laung District 2 kilometers south of Pa Sak River, are the makers who sell knives there. Because they are so sharp and good quality, knives bought from Ban Aranyik, are called “Aranyik Knives”.

....It is said that the ancestors of residents of the Bang Pai Nong and Ban Ton Pho were Vientians from Laos who moved to settle in Thailand during the reign of King Rama II. Most of them were blacksmiths. When they came here, they found a good location with a big swamp. Pa Sak River and the bamboo forest were the best main fuel to forge the heated iron and the bamboo could also be used as a handle for large hammers or a knives. So they settled there to have a career of forging knives and have been there ever since. "
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Japan has been very helpful in that region not to mention Angkor Wat, greatly funded for the refurbishments.
The darb is made entirely of different steels and finishing as well.I've seen some comes with galvanized pipe handle too.

Ronin,
The one on top with 2 sharp points are meant to be weapon.
The one below with a whale-looking head is farm tool and probably used for carving as the control is better.
I posted some detailed pics at sales section.

J
 
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I too own the pointy weapon . I purchased it in Nakhon Phanom, north east thailand from the guy that makes them. He happened to be selling them out of his utility in the car park of the service stationj on the banks of the mekhong river, I bought it sometime in 2012. Its Identical in every respect to the one in the photo.
 
In Laos 23 years ago back in 1991 I traded for this with an old man in the mountains northwest of Xepone in Savannakhet Province. He wasn't a vendor of any sort. Just an old man in the mountains who showed up one day to see what the team was up to. Cost me a pack of cigarettes and a US $1 bill. I'll never forget how his eyes lit up when he saw that green back. Somewhere I have a pic or slide of me with that old man. I've had the machete since and use it often still.

machette.JPG


On a later op in 1992 or 1993, I picked up this cross bow in another trade with another Hmong gentlemen elsewhere in the mountains (Ban Nammi) of Laos after he shot a squirrel out of a tree with it. During that op, one of my Lao counterparts made the quiver and arrows and gave those to me on my departure. Sadly, the bow string rotted away long ago as did the bamboo leaf fletching on the arrows.

XBow.JPG



Laos is a beautiful country, and the people are extremely gracious; however, the lowland Laotians are often bigoted and mostly still treat the mountain folk/Hmong badly.

'90-'93 I was 29-32 years old, and that was the best assignment I ever had. T'wern't no tourist in Laos back then.
 
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Love the shape of this blade. I often thought about making or having one made just like this but turn the handle down a bit. I guess it would be more parang-like then?
JayGoliath said:
230-mib26.jpg
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Just beautiful:thumbup:
ac9a9e4a21d1f6db6a74b4e2e3c8006e

I have bought a few blades on auction and find the quality can vary greatly. The best one I have is an E-toh marked with two red dots near the hilt (bottom in pic). It is very nicely hardened and holds and edge all day no problem and very well balanced. They are made from rock saw blades (5160). The black pipe handle E-toh is a bit rough and not balanced as nicely as the silver pipe. The Latin machete is really nicely balanced and perfectly hardened. It is obviously made from sheet stock. They are all from Aranyik markets according to the seller. From what I was told darb is the term used for weapon and E-toh is used for tool but same general shape.
Those OTOP's are some very fine blades Jay. Ive never seen any up for sale.
 
blue lander said:
I gotta get me one of those latin machetes... maybe the two handed version.
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Thats what I wanted also blue. I think its the "L2" from Aranyik Trading that got me into this mess to begin with. They are apparently in great demand. I considered replacing that handle on mine for a longer G10 version but it would have to be partial tang.
 
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