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Ulu Knives

With all the activity surrounding the recent postings of various ulu knives, it seemed like a logical step to create an Ulu subgroup. This will give us collectors with an ulu a common place to post, discuss, compare, and brag about the Ulu. Even if what one thinks is an ulu and it turns out to be something else, it’s a great place to share and learn.

Pronounced “oo-loo”, the Ulu is the iconic curved knife of the circumpolar peoples of the Inuit (including the Alaska Native Iñupiat, the Canadian Inuit, and the Greenlandic Inuit), the Yupik (or Yuit), and the Aleut, all of whom inhabit the Arctic regions of Eastern Siberia, the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, Canada, and Greenland.

Today, Ulu is the ubiquitous name for the style of knife – as the length and shape of the blade and handle vary by community or region, as does its name. The Uluaq, Ulluar, Uluk, and Sakiaq are some of the indigenous names for essentially the same style of knife – the Ulu.

The size of the ulu typically reflects its usage and was created to be a knife for all purposes of typical day-to-day tasks and the preparation of meat sources, such as salmon, seal, caribou, or fleshing out whale. The ulu itself has a history of more than 5,000 years with the earliest ulu knives dating back to 2500 BCE.

Prior to the arrival of Europeans, ulu blades were made from shale, slate, or quartzite with handles that could be made of wood, ivory, caribou antler, moose antler, or even bone. Today, uluit (the plural of Ulu meaning more than one) are made with a fine steel blade and its handle can be made of different ergonomic materials to best support cutting activities.

Common Characteristics of the Ulu

While the ulu can vary in shape and size, not all curved bladed knives are an ulu. The traditional or classic ulu comes in four distinct styles; the Iñupiat (or Alaskan), Canadian, Kalaallit (West Greenlandic) and Tunumiit (East Greenlandic).

With the Iñupiat style ulu, the blade has a center 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 center.

In the western areas of the Canadian Arctic, 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 traditional ulu has a beveled edge only on one side of the blade, whereas many modern uluit have a beveled edge on both sides of the blade.

Today, along with companies providing traditional and classic uluit, the ulu has been reimagined and is offered in a large array of styles, sizes, shapes, and materials.

Group Purpose and Mission

This subgroup is dedicated to the Ulu in all its forms - old & new, traditional or modern.

Its mission is to promote discussion and bring awareness to what makes an ulu unique among knives.

For your visual entertainment, here are a few links showing both how to use the ulu and the ulu in action.

Instructables – How to fillet a salmon with an Ulu:
https://www.instructables.com/How-to-Fillet-a-Salmon-With-an-Ulu/

How to use an Ulu (culinary):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqxDtdB2eR0

Ulu Cutting Competition:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0EXRKpDVeM

Everything you need to know about an Ulu:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6S8XW5v2nk

2 members like this

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Kevin D on January 13, 2025 at 20:11

Until I can complete some rather major refurbishments on another ulu, this one will have to be the last one of mine I share at the moment.

This is ulu seems to be a blending of design from Iñupiat and Inuit people. The blade is carbon steel and the side supports are cast. The handle is wooden and is secured between the supports by means of screws.

Everything metal on this knife was severely corroded and required a good cleaning and conserving, but taking a good bit of care not to 'over-clean' the blade. I even cleaned and conserved the screws back to what I believe original condition. The entire blade is fairly thin, so the edge bevel is not super significant.

The wood was covered in ... something. I am honestly not sure what all that was. Beyond the expected oils, dirt, and normal grime. This stuff was crusty. yuck. Through very careful cleaning I was able to find the original finish on the wood and preserve that without cleaning right through it to the raw wood.

Originally, the blade may have been shiny when it was new, but I did not wish to destroy the history it has been through and remove the patina of the years the carbon steel blade has developed.

It does not have the dramatic flares on each tip of the blade, but the tips are wider than the rest of the knife, and I do believe from seeing the condition of each component that it was made before the ulu was widely marketed to other markets and uses.

At any rate here is the end result of I am calling a faithful restoration.

Permalink Reply by Lars Ray yesterday

Vintage Ulu

A gift for me at Christmas, this is a beauty of a knife. This is a classic Alaskan-style ulu whereby both ends of the blade fit into the handle. I am not sure what kind of wood the handle is made of, but the blade is definetly carbon steel. I am also not sure how old it is or who the manufacturer was, so we'll have to do some more research.

Until then, I will have to follow Kevin's lead here and see what I can do to softly restore this baby for active service in the kitchen while maintaining it's vintage and historical integrity.

I welcome any and all inputs from ulu experts out there who may know anything about this style/model and make of ulu. It certainly looks at home in a homestead setting.

I'll be sure to show completed photos upon restoation.

Permalink Reply by Lars Ray 8 hours ago

Legacy Ulu - Gil Hibben Design

Another classic Hibben design, the Legacy Ulu is a sleek and modern reimagining of the traditional ulu knife. Released in 2010, I was able to obtain mine in 2016. A popular design nowadays, the Legacy remains set apart from others like it with its extreme hollow ground blade sweep and exaggerated points (which can and do bite if not paying attention!). I have read quite a few reviews whereby the owner has rounded off the blade points, in part, I suspect, to reduce the intimidation factor.

Thinking I was just ging to add this to my Hibben collection, I actually use this in the kitchen....and I love it! It is lightweaight, well balanced, extremely sharp, precise (well, as precise as my control of it anyway), and very easy to use.

The Legacy is a hansome piece that sports a 6.5 inch 5Cr15 stainless steel mirror polished blade, black pakkawood handle scales, and a comfortable grip. It's just hard to go wrong with it.

Permalink Reply by Kevin D 7 hours ago

Oh nice! That is certainly handsome!

While it is definitely not classic, vintage design, it is a slick modern take on the ulu design concept. I have had the opportunity to check out a few Hibben knives in the past (but not this one), and found them to be well made and thought out. The one thing about this particular knife would be how the blade thickness and edge profile works together to yield something that is usable. As you have stated, it works really well, so I do not doubt its functionality, but I would like to see the grind profile in person to get a first hand understanding of it.

Up to this point, all of the ulus I have seen have had thin blades so the edge profile was not really an issue. This modern take certainly appears to be much more robust.

Certainly has design elements to think on when trying to forge one of these knives. Thanks for sharing!

Permalink Reply by Lars Ray 6 hours ago

Thanks Kevin - You are absolutly correct regarding the blade - and robust is putting it mildly. The hollow grind on this piece is such that fileting or deboning (my two primary uses) is as efficient and easy to control as if the whole blade was as thin as the edge. The overall ergonomics is what I think contributes to that. I have a handful of Hibben knives - all mostly for show. This ulu is the only one I actually use, and I have to admit - it's a delight!

While the Legacy is a reimagined ulu with flare, he has also released a piece called the Thor's Sickle Ulu. It sports a more dramatic cresent blade and a T handle. It certainly pushes the limits of what an ulu can be or look like and still be an ulu. Does it look cool? Oh for sure - particulary if you place it among his other fantasy blades. Is it practical? Hmmm....dunno. Jury is still out on that one (meaning I haven't dropped coin on it yet).