Inuit were working with iron in the form of the Cape York Meteors to make blades for centuries prior to European contact. Arctic explorers Peary and Rasmussen stole the meteors and brought them back to museums in their countries.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by David
Quite true about original Utu blades, but of course Inuit people have used iron and steel blades ever since European contact. Still, not inspired by herb cutters. Utu are of great cultural importance to the Inuit and are often an object of great craft. These blades performed all important functions and were indispensable to the survival of the tribe.
I suppose this is as good a place as any to start a visual library of examples of Utu. I would encourage others to add to this base.
|