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