Ceremonial axe, locally called a dao, from the Naga of Upper Myanmar. The chopper has a long, narrow, iron blade of basic triangular shape. It has a single-edged, curved blade, with a ridge along the length on one side near the back/top and a shallow, concave end. The short, wooden haft, approximately one-third of the blade length, has a narrow band of plaited, yellow orchid stem bound around the haft where the blade is inserted. Around the haft is a broader band of red dyed cane interwoven with strips of yellow orchid stem. There is another band of plaited, yellow orchid stem before a section of twisted metal wire wound around the haft and securing a fringe of red dyed hair, probably goats.
fighting