ULU-Inuit womens knife-whaler flensing knife-saddlers tool
 

I found this is a shop several years ago, and recognized it as an 'Eskimo womens knife' known as an ULU. It was so unusual it was hard to resist, and I had seen these illustrated in some references as this.
However in further research, I found examples listed as 'whalers flensing knives' in the same size, lunette blade, and typically 19thc.

I presented this here about 2 yrs ago as whalers knife, which resulted in a 'spirited discussion' mostly about whaling. Through the editorial comments it was noted that this was not an 'ulu', which I had described in comparison as I believed the Inuit women must have used these in final dressing of whale carcass. ......it was noted it was a more mundane tool....a leather cutting knofe for harness and saddle making.

In references it is noted that the Inuit indeed had used the tool known as 'ulu' for centuries, but usually made of stone. When they later made contact with WHALERS.....they became of steel.

The typical whalers flensing knives were larger, but had the lunette (described as whales tail) shape, about a foot tall and 9" wide, and were socketed as used on poles. Still, I came across a number of these smaller versions listed as whalers flensing knives. One by James Dixon Co. c. 1850, and another similar but maker not indicated....both described as flensing knives.

I have seen large butcher knives, much like early Bowies, described as whalers knives.


Apparently, a knife in this form by Richard Timmons &Son, Birmingham (from Saddle & Harness reference 1845-50) as one of four of these lunette knives obtained by Capt. Charles Hall, leading the Franklin Search Expedition 1864-69...as he was situated in Pelly Bay (Kugaaruk), Bootha Peninsula.
These knives (in this form) were found in Pelly Bay; two from King Edwards Island and one from Edward Parry's winter camp 1822-23 at Igulik.

While these lunette knives may indeed have been used by leather workers on saddles etc as noted, it would seem they DID indeed end up with Inuit women, as noted 'when contact was made with arctic whalers'.

So were these knives actually in use by whalers in their regimen of working with whale dressing? and traded with the Inuit women? or were they intentionally taken to trade when earlier whalers observed the use of the stone ulu, and saw to advance their process with modern tools?

Whatever the case, it seems clear that regardless of the original or intended use of these knives/tools, they found an alternate use in certain cases as with possibly whalers.....but clearly as the Inuit knife known as 'ULU', as I had originally thought. This explains how these turned up in some knife books shown as Ulu.

Left to right:
The whalers knife socketed for a pole
My example
The Timmons example as discovered during Franklin search expedition 1864