THE ULU: A SYMBOL OF INUPIAQ WOMANHOOD

In my opinion, there are three things that represent Inupiaq womanhood: an ulu, seal oil, and sourdough. An ulu is a woman's knife that is usually made with a handle (wooden or ivory) and a blade (saw blade typically). Back in the day women often used ulus made of stone.  I say it is a woman's knife because that is exactly what it is: a knife that is used almost exclusively by women. You probably wouldn't see a man using an ulu as he would use a regular knife and if he were using an ulu, it might seem a bit unusual and silly. Perhaps this is an indicator of the traditional gendered roles in Inupiaq culture, I don't know.

Anyway, women use their ulus to cut up ugruk, fish, muktuk, caribou, moose, vegetables, etc etc etc. These handy instruments can cut up most things and are often a superior choice to knives. Wanna cut up some quaq (frozen meat/fish)? Grab an ulu. Need to cut vegetables? Cut up an entire ugruk? Cut up some muktuk? Use your ulu.

My tiny ulu: a symbol of my early childhood and time spent in Kivalina.

Both my aana (maternal grandmother) and aaqa (paternal grandmother) have a collection of ulus, some right handed, some left handed, some big ones, some designed to fit smaller hands. At fish camp we would use ulus to clean up the ugruk meat and cut fish. A skilled woman could even use the ulu blade to scale fish (we used knives). While working my aana would bring out her box of ulus and rotate them, using one ulu until the blade became dull with use, switching it out to another ulu, and so on, until all the ulus needed sharpening. I prefer smaller ulus as they are easier to use, especially for an unskilled user.

My aaqa's ulu: a symbol of Inupiaq womanhood.

My aaqa gave me tiny ulu as a child and I've kept it all these years. To me, it is a symbol of affection and love and the time I spent in Kivalina in my early childhood. During my recent trip to Kivalina, I acquired one of my most prized possessions: my aaqa's first ulu. My aapa (paternal grandfather) told me that when she first got it the blade was huge. After years of use and sharpening the blade has become a lot smaller. The wooden handle is smooth and knicked, the blade oxidized and discolored. I love it.

My aaqa is a hardworking, loving, kind, gentle and resilient woman. These are known facts. She's also funny as heck and always finds humor in even the most difficult situations. My aana is also a strong, hardworking, generous and meticulous. And so you can see why an ulu represents the finer aspects of Inupiaq womanhood.

Ulus also represent tradition and knowledge. I aspire to be like my aana and aaqa. One of my goals, as an Inupiaq woman, is to become a skilled ulu user.