An ulu ( iu, ᐅᓗ, plural: ''uluit'', 'woman's knife') is an all-purpose knife traditionally used by Inuit, Iñupiat, Yupik, and Aleut women. It is utilized in applications as diverse as skinning and cleaning animals, cutting a child's hair, cutting food and, if necessary, trimming blocks of snow and ice used to build an

igloo An igloo (Inuit languages: , Inuktitut syllabics (plural: )), also known as a snow house or snow hut, is a type of shelter built of suitable snow. Although igloos are often associated with all Inuit, they were traditionally used only b ...

Name

In the Nunatsiavummiutut variety of Inuttitut, which is spoken in Nunatsiavut (Northern Labrador), the word is spelled , and in Tunumiit (East Greenlandic) it is or . The following chart lists both

Eskimo-Aleut The Eskaleut (), Eskimo–Aleut or Inuit–Yupik–Unangan languages are a language family native to the northern portions of the North American continent and a small part of northeastern Asia. Languages in the family are indigenous to parts of w ...

terms as well as two terms for the same tool in Athabaskan languages, which are an unrelated language family spoken by non-Inuit- Iñupiat-Aleut

Alaska Natives Alaska Natives (also known as Alaskan Natives, Native Alaskans, Indigenous Alaskans, Aboriginal Alaskans or First Alaskans) are the indigenous peoples of Alaska and include Iñupiat, Yupik, Aleut, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, and a numbe ...

Materials

Traditionally the ulu was made with a

caribou Reindeer (in North American English, known as caribou if wild and ''reindeer'' if domesticated) are deer in the genus ''Rangifer''. For the last few decades, reindeer were assigned to one species, ''Rangifer tarandus'', with about 10 subspe ...

antler Antlers are extensions of an animal's skull found in members of the Cervidae (deer) family. Antlers are a single structure composed of bone, cartilage, fibrous tissue, skin, nerves, and blood vessels. They are generally found only on male ...

, muskox

horn Horn most often refers to: *Horn (acoustic), a conical or bell shaped aperture used to guide sound ** Horn (instrument), collective name for tube-shaped wind musical instruments *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various ...

walrus ivory The walrus (''Odobenus rosmarus'') is a large flippered marine mammal with a discontinuous distribution about the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean and subarctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. The walrus is the only living species in the fami ...

handle and

slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...

cutting surface, due to the lack of metal smelting technology in the Arctic. The handle could also be carved from bone, and wood was sometimes used when it was available. In certain areas, such as Ulukhaktok

Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...

, copper was used for the cutting surface. The modern ulu is still often made with a caribou antler handle but the blade is usually made of

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

. The steel is often obtained by purchasing a hand saw or wood saw and cutting the blade to the correct shape. A hardwood called is also used for handles. Uluit are often home made, but there is also an industry of commercially produced uluit, sometimes made with a plastic handle and complete with a cutting board.

Usage and styles

The size of the ulu typically reflects its usage. An ulu with a blade would be used as part of a sewing kit to cut

sinew A tendon or sinew is a tough, high-tensile-strength band of dense fibrous connective tissue that connects muscle to bone. It is able to transmit the mechanical forces of muscle contraction to the skeletal system without sacrificing its ability ...

or for cutting out patterns from animal skins. An ulu with a blade would be used for general purposes. Occasionally, uluit can be found with blades as large as . The ulu comes in four distinct styles, the Iñupiat (or Alaskan), Canadian, West Greenlandic and

East Greenlandic Tunumiit oraasiat or East Greenlandic (East Greenlandic: , Kalaallisut: '' tunumiusut''; da, østgrønlandsk) is a variety of Greenlandic spoken in eastern Greenland by the Tunumiit. It is generally considered a divergent dialect of Greenlandic ...

. With the Inupiat style ulu the blade has a centre piece cut out and both ends of the blade fit into the handle. In Canada the blade more often is attached to the handle by a single stem in the centre. In the western areas of the

Canadian Arctic Northern Canada, colloquially the North or the Territories, is the vast northernmost region of Canada variously defined by geography and politics. Politically, the term refers to the three territories of Canada: Yukon, Northwest Territories and N ...

the blade of the ulu tends to be of a triangular shape, while in the eastern Arctic the ends of the blade tend to be more pointed. The shape of the ulu ensures that the force is centered more over the middle of the blade than with an ordinary knife. This makes the ulu easier to use when cutting hard objects such as bone. Because the rocking motion used when cutting on a plate or board with an ulu pins down the food being cut, it is also easier to use an ulu one-handed (a typical steak knife, in contrast, requires a fork). Ulu knives are sometimes used for purposes other than their original intent. Because of their cultural symbolism throughout the Arctic, they are sometimes presented to people who have accomplished significant things, such as sports or education. Specifically, the Arctic Winter Games presents gold, silver, and bronze uluit to successful athletes, acting in place of a medal.

History

Uluit have been found that date back to as early as 2500 BCE. Traditionally, the ulu would be passed down from generation to generation. It was believed that an ancestor's knowledge was contained within the ulu and thus would also be passed on.

Legality

Some countries, including Canada, prohibit the possession or carrying of knives where the blade is perpendicular to the handle (intended to limit the use of so-called " push daggers"). However, regulations passed under the Criminal Code specifically exempt the "aboriginal 'ulu' knife" from this prohibition. Uluit are not allowed as carry-on on commercial airline flights in the US, though they can be in checked bags.

Gallery

File:West Greenlandic Ulo.jpg, West Greenlandic (''Kalaallit'') ulu File:East Greenlandic Ulo.jpg, East Greenlandic (''Tunumiit'') ulu File:Un ulu d'Alaska sur fond bleu.JPG, An ulu from Alaska File:Mannaia tritacarne - Musei del cibo - Prosciutto - 0032.tif, 19th century Italian knife for meat (), resembling an ulu and having a similar function

References

External links

Collection of uluit in the National Museum of the American IndianImages and descriptions of uluit and other Inuit tools and clothing at McCord MuseumVideo showing the use of an uluVarious items about uluit at Civilization.ca
{{Knives Knives Inuit tools Inuit weapons