[Sca-cooks] Fw: [kl] Colonial Knives

[Bill Fisher]

On Thu, 20 Jan 2005 17:33:03 -0500, Phlip <phlip at 99main.com> wrote:

> "One thing I'm thinking is that prior to the arrival of Europeans, the
> Inuit,
> like most native Americans, were confined to the use of stone tools, and the
> ulu slape would make a much more efficient usage for stone, than a long,
> narrow blade. Perhaps the ulu was adapted from a specialized hand axe, and
> made into metal by traders seeking to have a better but familiar tool to
> trade? "
> 
> Any insight that anyone can provide would be of interest. Magnus, Bear, I'm
> particularly thinking you two might have something of interest to say.
> 
> Saint Phlip,
> CoD

Ulu -	a crescent-shaped knife, small and very sharp, used primarily by
Inuit women in the preparation of food and skins.

Going with that definition.  If you chip stone, you can make a flat
blade, but it will
snap.  To make longer weapons from them, folks like the Aztecs used wood or bone
and embedded shards of sharp shell or stone in the sides of the
"blades." Essentially
a spiked club.  The natural shape for any stone tools would be to
conserve as much
of the mass of the stone for strength and leave a thin edge which can
be re-chipped for
sharpening.

Anyway, I digress.

I'll see if I can find the book I have that has pictures, but the
stone tools used for
scraping and the metal ones share the same name.  Ulu.  

I found a pic of a stone ulu online though - from the Smithsonian,

http://www.mnh.si.edu/arctic/features/croads/ekven7.html

I'd say you were on to something here.

Cadoc
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