Ulu
An ulu is a knife with a crescent-shaped blade attached to a handle made of wood, bone or antler. The design of an ulu ensures that the cutting force is centred more over the middle of the blade than with an ordinary knife. Ulus are used for skinning animals, scraping skins, cutting hides when sewing as well as for other household tasks. They are sometimes called 'women's knives' since they usually are associated with women’s tasks.
“… the semi-lunar knives of Eskimo women were originally made of stone, and were also used as skin-scrapers in tanning, but were more usually used to cut up leather in making clothes, or meat when eating.” (Émile Petitot, quoted in Savoie, 1971: 151)
