An
ulu is an Inuit woman’s all-purpose knife. It can
be used for applications as diverse as skinning and cleaning animals, cutting
a child’s hair, cutting food and if necessary trimming the blocks of snow and
ice used to build igloos.
Traditionally the ulu was made with a caribou antler handle and slate cutting
surface, due to the lack of metal in the Arctic. The handle could also be carved
from bone, and wood was sometimes used when it was available.
The size of the ulu would tend to reflect its usage. An ulu with a 5 cm (2
in) blade would be used as part of a sewing kit to cut sinew. An ulu with a
15 cm (6 in) blade would be used for general purposes. Occasionally, ulu’s
can be found with blades as large as 30 cm (12 in).
The ulu comes in two distinct styles, the Inupiat (or Alaskan) and Canadian.
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 the blade of the ulu tended to be of a triangular shape, while in the
eastern Arctic the ends of the blade tend to be more pointed.
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Alaskan Ulu Knife |
Canadian Ulu Knife |
Ulus 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. The shape of the ulu ensures that the force is centred 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.
Today the ulu is still made with a caribou antler but the blade is usually
made of steel. The steel is quite often obtained by purchasing a hand saw or
wood saw and cutting the blade to the correct shape. These ulus are both kept
for home use and sold to others. It is also possible to purchase commercially
produced ulus, sometimes made with a plastic handle and complete with a cutting
board.
