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Karen ritual rice sickle
stock number: 2097
price: $150.USD
description:
Very rare ceremonial rice cutter from the Karen people (this particular one is from Northern Thailand). This knife would only be used on the first cutting of the season and as with most all of the rice cultivators in Asia there is a great deal of ritual and importance given to this act, regardless of the religion i.e. Buddhist, animist, Hindu etc. The bone handle, given its size, I am guessing to be from the leg of a muntjac (barking deer) and is most likely to be much older (circa 80 or 90 years) than the iron blade. The blade has some decoration incised on one side and the tip has broken off but is old as well. I am always fond of these sorts of things as they serve to remind me that rice is something more than what comes in a vacuum sealed bag from the store. Total L: 32cm/12.5in.
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