A NAGA DAO AND HOLDER, A DAO HANDLE AND TWO WRISTLETS, NAGALAND, NORTH-EAST INDIA

A. A dao with a clefted blade, the haft with a woven cane band and tufts of dyed goat's hair, resting in a carved wood holder with slots for attaching to a belt and worked on one side with hatched geometric cartouches and circle-and-dot motifs
B. A dao handle with a woven cane band around the grip and woven cane around the goat's hair tufts
C. Two wristlets of circular wooden form, the goat's hair tufts threaded through a covering of woven cane

Some wear and minor losses, as viewed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The name of these bladed weapons is shared across South Asia: Daos, in China (dao), Borneo (dha) and Burma (dha). But amongst the Naga the dao is not simply a weapon of warfare but is an all-purpose tool of the tribesman. They were used for day-to-day activities such as agriculture and house-building as well as the more specific needs of wood-carving and warfare. Many of the blades were made by the Kalyo-Kengyu tribe, who were noted for their metalworking skills. The Konyak tribe were also noted for their blacksmiths. A dao, very similar in nature to the present example, was brought back from Nagaland by John Henry Hutton in the early 20th century. It is now in the Pitt-Rivers Museum, Oxford, and was recorded by Hutton as belonging to a chief of the Konyak tribe (inv. no. 1923.85.724.1).

The dao was housed in a holder held at the waist by a belt, itself often elaborately decorated. The forms of holder vary according to the different shape of dao, some in a form more akin to a conventional scabbard. A dao holder very similar to the present example in the Cambridge University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology is said to be Konyak (Jacobs 1990, p.243). It holds a dao with a handle similar to that in the present lot.

A pair of wristlets similar to those in this lot are in the Museum of Mankind, London (Jacobs 1990, p.230).