Koryak knife from Kamchatka

[Interested Party]

Originally Posted by Edster

It's both, depending on which language you speak. As per Wiki.. "Alces alces is called a "moose" in North American English, but an "elk" in British English."

Opps. Thanks, I forgot that. The American elk are migrating here now. So, I guess I have them on the brain. I found a trail where a small herd and then a straggler (maybe a bull) came through day before yesterday.

The knife looks very similar to a Scandinavian pattern. Almost no metal to keep the hand happy while you work in the cold. It is a shame about the point or is that an optical illusion? The hilt/sheath is antler?

I was originally scheduled to visit Kamchatka for work this year, but then the whole Ukraine thing. The best laid plans...often go awry.... Maybe in 10 years, when the dust settles, I will get a chance to put that childhood dream to rest. Hopefully I will still be able so ski and backpack then. Now I know where to go for knives!

[Edster]

Good article in today's Washington Post on re-introducing American Elk (with fotos) into VA.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md...west-virginia/

[Ren Ren]

Originally Posted by Edster

Good article in today's Washington Post on re-introducing American Elk (with fotos) into VA.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md...west-virginia/

Thank you! It's really interesting!

[gp]

I also was thinking of reindeer ( who actually suffered a similar fate due to climate change in Scandinavia the last decade ) .

Now checking on this people I found the following :

"the Koryak are typically split into two groups.
The coastal people are called Nemelan (or Nymylan) meaning 'village dwellers', due to their living in villages. Their lifestyle is based on local fishing and marine mammal hunting.
The inland Koryak, reindeer herders, are called Chaucu (or Chauchuven), meaning 'rich in reindeer'. They are more nomadic, following the herds as they graze with the seasons."

source : Chaussonnet, Valérie (1995). Crossroads Alaska: Native Cultures of Alaska and Siberia. Smithsonian, National Museum of Natural History. ISBN 978-1-56098-661-4. 7 October 2020.

[Ren Ren]

Oh yeah! The hunters and fishermen of the sea coast and the reindeer herders of the interior have different ways of life and speak different dialects (some linguists even consider the Alyutor/Nymylan dialect to be a separate language).

[Ren Ren]

Originally Posted by Interested Party

Opps. Thanks, I forgot that. The American elk are migrating here now. So, I guess I have them on the brain. I found a trail where a small herd and then a straggler (maybe a bull) came through day before yesterday.

The knife looks very similar to a Scandinavian pattern. Almost no metal to keep the hand happy while you work in the cold. It is a shame about the point or is that an optical illusion? The hilt/sheath is antler?

I was originally scheduled to visit Kamchatka for work this year, but then the whole Ukraine thing. The best laid plans...often go awry.... Maybe in 10 years, when the dust settles, I will get a chance to put that childhood dream to rest. Hopefully I will still be able so ski and backpack then. Now I know where to go for knives!

The American elk in Russia is usually called wapiti. Therefore, we often get confused in the names that we meet in English texts.
You saw correctly that about 1/5 inch of the point was broken off, unfortunately. The hilt and scabbard are made of light soft wood, probably birch. It is also known that willow and alder wood was used.
I am sincerely sorry that your plans this year will not be able to come true. In Russia, believers in God pray, while atheists simply hope that the current situation will end quickly and safely.