This silver knife with an ivory handle are made by Chinese, Shan or hilltribe craftsmen. They are important status symbols for tribal men.Silver was the currency most valued by the hilltribes in northern Thailand. It was usually obtained through trade in the form of Indian and Burmese silver coins. Yao and Hmong metalsmiths were known to melt these down to make silver jewellery. The Karen people, who live in Burma and northern Thailand, used a range of Shan silver items including betel boxes, smoking pipes and knives, which they sometimes traded with other hilltribe communities.
