Ethnographic Kitchen Knives??

ariel · 24th August 2009, 10:35 AM

Come to think of it, Persian Kards, with their wootz blades and precious handles, are nothing but eating implements. They are mechanically not good for anything else.

migueldiaz · 24th August 2009, 02:14 PM

Below are examples from the Filipino Bajau Laut [pronounced bah-JOU (as in joust) LAH-oot], who live in southernmost Philippines (adjacent to Sabah/ Borneo, Malaysia).

Sorry for the poor quality of the pics. It's a cellphone camera I used. The items are displayed at the Phil. National Museum.

The wooden knife says "spatula" on the label. The other item is labeled "axe", or "palakul" in the native tongue.

Note how these folks can't help but make even everyday items very ornate ...

potapych · 24th August 2009, 03:20 PM

Eastern Arctic, Inuit: Nunavimiut, 1900-1909, Antler, metal, 5.3 x 6.4 cm (From McCord Museum).

Canadian Inuit, ("Thule"), Ulu (woman's knife), bone handle and iron blade, Strathcona Sound, Baffin Island, Nunavut, circa 1500-1800 A.D. (From the Canadian Museum of Civilization).

While most of the earliest samples have slate blades (as illustrated below, from Afognak Data Recovery Project, Afgonak Island, Kodiak Archipelago), there is evidence that some of these peoples used meteoric iron and iron acquired from Norse adventurers as much as 1000 years ago, working it by cold hammering.

They are still a very popular kitchen tool and modern samples abound.

fearn · 24th August 2009, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by potapych

Eastern Arctic, Inuit: Nunavimiut, 1900-1909, Antler, metal, 5.3 x 6.4 cm (From McCord Museum).

Canadian Inuit, ("Thule"), Ulu (woman's knife), bone handle and iron blade, Strathcona Sound, Baffin Island, Nunavut, circa 1500-1800 A.D. (From the Canadian Museum of Civilization).

They are still a very popular kitchen tool and modern samples abound.

I don't have a picture, but I got my mother a modern ulu from Dancing Man Knives several years ago, and she loves it. Since she has arthritic fingers, the ulu is useful to her, because it cuts with wrist and arm action more than finger pressure.

Tim Simmons · 24th August 2009, 06:43 PM

Also better to cut up meat with mittens on your hands.

Mark · 25th August 2009, 03:13 PM

Here's one with some age on it. Not exactly "kitchen" (open-air butcher shop, perhaps). It is an Acheulean hand-axe found along a river bed in central Ethiopia. Its about 5 inches long and 3 wide, and upwards of 1.5 million years old. Its quite something to hold, considering that the guy who made it wasn't even fully human (probably Homo erectus).

A. G. Maisey · 26th August 2009, 05:24 AM

Here's another Jawa kitchen knife.

This is my wife's mincer, for making big pieces of meat into smaller pieces.

Weight 600grms, overall length 14.5"

Made in Koripan, Jawa Tengah.

fearn · 26th August 2009, 05:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark

Here's one with some age on it. Not exactly "kitchen" (open-air butcher shop, perhaps). It is an Acheulean hand-axe found along a river bed in central Ethiopia. Its about 5 inches long and 3 wide, and upwards of 1.5 million years old. Its quite something to hold, considering that the guy who made it wasn't even fully human (probably Homo erectus).

Ummm Mark,

Are you saying that you use this in your kitchen???

24th August 2009, 02:14 PM	#2
migueldiaz Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Manila, Phils. Posts: 1,042	Below are examples from the Filipino Bajau Laut [pronounced bah-JOU (as in joust) LAH-oot], who live in southernmost Philippines (adjacent to Sabah/ Borneo, Malaysia). Sorry for the poor quality of the pics. It's a cellphone camera I used. The items are displayed at the Phil. National Museum. The wooden knife says "spatula" on the label. The other item is labeled "axe", or "palakul" in the native tongue. Note how these folks can't help but make even everyday items very ornate ... Attached Images

24th August 2009, 03:20 PM	#3
potapych Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Left Coast, USA Posts: 14	Eskimo Knife "Ulu" Eastern Arctic, Inuit: Nunavimiut, 1900-1909, Antler, metal, 5.3 x 6.4 cm (From McCord Museum). Canadian Inuit, ("Thule"), Ulu (woman's knife), bone handle and iron blade, Strathcona Sound, Baffin Island, Nunavut, circa 1500-1800 A.D. (From the Canadian Museum of Civilization). While most of the earliest samples have slate blades (as illustrated below, from Afognak Data Recovery Project, Afgonak Island, Kodiak Archipelago), there is evidence that some of these peoples used meteoric iron and iron acquired from Norse adventurers as much as 1000 years ago, working it by cold hammering. They are still a very popular kitchen tool and modern samples abound. Attached Images

25th August 2009, 03:13 PM	#6
Mark Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 987	Here's one with some age on it. Not exactly "kitchen" (open-air butcher shop, perhaps). It is an Acheulean hand-axe found along a river bed in central Ethiopia. Its about 5 inches long and 3 wide, and upwards of 1.5 million years old. Its quite something to hold, considering that the guy who made it wasn't even fully human (probably Homo erectus). Attached Images

26th August 2009, 05:24 AM	#7
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,015	Here's another Jawa kitchen knife. This is my wife's mincer, for making big pieces of meat into smaller pieces. Weight 600grms, overall length 14.5" Made in Koripan, Jawa Tengah. Attached Images

24th August 2009, 10:35 AM	#1
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	Come to think of it, Persian Kards, with their wootz blades and precious handles, are nothing but eating implements. They are mechanically not good for anything else.

24th August 2009, 06:43 PM	#5
Tim Simmons Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: What is still UK Posts: 5,854	Also better to cut up meat with mittens on your hands.