Skinning Knife
Uluaq or Uluat
9.2 cm long x 6.85 cm wide x 1.8 cm thick (handle) x 0.25 cm thick (blade)
Wood handle, jade or slate blade
Togiak River, Alaska (Yup’ik) c. 1887
Collector: J. Applegate (and John W. Clark as indicated in Smithsonian records)
Museum ID number: APP.C5.ab.0474
Skinning knives, known as uluaq or uluat, are common everyday tools used among all Arctic peoples, even today. Uluat are traditionally used by women and generally used for processing food (e.g. flensing whale blubber, fleshing hides, cleaning fish, and crafting clothing from skins). The blades were originally made from either slate or chipped stone, but are typically steel in more modern versions. Handles are typically made from ivory, wood, or woven tree roots (typically spruce or willow), depending on the user’s personal preference. They are most commonly semicircular in shape, but other shapes are found as well. There is a range of sizes and uses for uluat, with the size depending on its primary purpose. They are typically created by first soaking the wooden handle, then inserting the shaped blade, and finally drying the wood, allowing it to shrink to create a tight fit. This particular uluaq has a wood handle and jade or slate blade and is made for the right hand. The wooden handle shows carving marks, especially along the indentation on both sides to make it easier to hold. The wood is discolored either on purpose from a dye or fire burnishing or simply due to use.