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Report of khuk to John Powell

J

Johan van Zyl

Joined
Oct 11, 2000
Messages
372
John, I want to report to you that I was shown a khukuri about a week ago, looking like your khukuri number 7 in the FAQ "The John Powell Collection". Now that type of khuk is so different to the others that I thought you would want to be informed if I happened to come across one like it. So is it extraordinary or what? Belongs to a guy in Bloemfontein, South Africa, who said it was handed down to him by his father. Perhaps you'd like to put in a pic of your no. 7 for the benefit of the forumites, as I think we'd like to hear your opinion of this "find"?:)
 
7.jpg
 
Yes, yes, yes! Thanks, Not2sharp! It's exactly the same, 'cept the engraving seems exceedingly clear and sharp on John's khuk, yet not so on the one I was shown. I'll get around to photographing it in due course. I was quite surprised when I saw it and immediately recalled the one in John's catalogue.

Y'all will probably say it's not rare and imitations of it abound. (Sigh.) :) :D
 
Johan,

These seem to fall into two distinct catagories. Some of them are ceremonial temple khukuries, while others were produced as tourist items back during the 19th century.

Here is a nice matching Kora (it's available at Lionsgate-armsandarmour.com)
nk1-1.jpg


n2s
 
Seems the spectre of the "tourist khukuri" has been walking about as early as the nineteenth century! That might be news to some. I'll bet the #7 khukuri in John's possession (pic kindly provided by you) is not one of the those! I'm sure he'll enlighten us further when he gets back to the forum.
 
Seems the spectre of the "tourist khukuri" has been walking about as early as the nineteenth century!
Click to expand...

Don't be too quick to write off 19th century tourist items. Tourisim back then was the prerogative of rich. Some of these items were very nice if perhaps less then functional.

n2s
 
I truly respect your opinion on the niceness of these old tourist khuks. To me personally, functionality is a major criterium of eventual worth and value.

I've seen a very nice but non-functional jambiya, of 1920 vintage: $300. Can you believe it? It has a blade made from two pieces of shaped tinplate soldered together. I feel they should be put in a category all on their own: ORNAMENTAL? Some khuks would fit in there.... :)
 
Johan,
I was fortunate to obtain the top kukri in the picture from John Powell, and I am afraid I have to report that it is both a tourist piece and completely non-functional. The blade is no more than 1/8" thick, and lacks any heat treat, being easily bent by hand. It has an edge of sorts, sharp enough to cut butter if reasonably soft. The engraving is well done, and the handle is of excellent quality, probably having been originally made for a tulwar with a real blade. The "tourists" to whom these were sold were officers of the British East India Company who took them back to Blighty to hang on the walls of the manor house as trophies of their foreign service. They were available as military surplus in the Francis Bannerman catalog of 1927 for $10, compared to real Nepalese 19th-century khukuris with carved handles which sold for $15.
Regards,
Berkley
 
Quote from Berk: "I was fortunate to obtain..."

If "fortune" smiled upon you in obtaining that khuk, as you stated Berk, I conclude it must be of a rarity sufficient to overshadow the abhorring non-functionality you described. Otherwise a guy like you wouldn't have been impressed. Thanks for interesting facts! When I see the Bloemfontein khuk again (BTTT), I'll do the good ol' "soft butter test" on it!

While I have the podium, allow me to share something with y'all: I have six genuine Nepal-made khuks all with Indian buffalo horn handles. I decided to house them together in a box, with their sheaths. I made a box from wood, painted it maroon-red with black blotches, varnished over. The box opens like the classical miner's or construction worker's sandwich tin, if you know what I mean. Then I made a stand, or tray, in the box in such a way that it supports the six unsheathed khuks next to one another, but alternating back to front, with edges pointing downwards. The stand rests in the box upon four legs, so that the khuks are raised from the floor of the box in such a way that the sheaths can be stored at the bottom. The small knives are all arranged on the inside of the lid in loops. When the lid is shut, the small knives nearly touch the backs of the khuks. When you open the box you see all six khuks and the small knives. The sheaths are out of sight under the khuks. The box was made with economy of space in mind, so that virtually no extra space is available after everything is inside.

I felt the urge to provide something like this for the khuks, as six rigs lying about can really clutter up a study. Also, when visitors come, I had to fetch the rigs for them to admire, and carry them like a bundle of cordwood in my arms with points sticking out, little knives falling on the floor. It felt too disorganised.

(I have other khuks too, but not with horn handles.) :D :D :D
 
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