The knife, slightly different from the usual one in our understanding, is asymmetrical, with recesses on one side of the blade - residents of Yakutia have long used such products. Today, Yakut knives are the hallmark of this region of Russia.
History of occurrence
The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) is known worldwide as the main supplier of diamonds. The khomus musical instrument is recognizable even in the most remote corners of the earth. Another famous invention is the Yakut knives. Since ancient times, the people of the Turkic language group live on such a vast territory. The ancestors of modern inhabitants from Central Asia came. The Yakuts themselves call Sakha. Having mastered the harsh laws of living in the northern regions, this people not only adapted to them, but also learned to benefit from them.
Since ancient times, Sakha learned to mine and process iron ore. Blacksmithing was not inferior to the products of blacksmiths of developed European countries. As early as the seventeenth century, Russian Cossacks, having begun to interact with Yakut hunters, noted the quality of their tools and hunting. The Yakut blacksmiths were able to melt iron, bypassing the stage of cast iron.
Archaeological work on the territory of the settlement of this ancient people allows us to prove the centuries-old history of the Yakut knives. In the studied burial grounds and parking lots, scientists find samples of knives that are very similar to Yakut knives. After millennia, they retained their size, geometric parameters and appearance.
Varieties
The design of the knife has not changed over many centuries of its existence, but the ratio of the blade and the handle can vary in each case. In various regions of Yakutia, there are their own standards for the manufacture of this product. The classic Yakut work knife is a 110-170 mm blade mounted on a wooden handle.
Among all the diversity, three main types can be distinguished. The first is distinguished by its small size. The length of the blade is from 80 to 110 mm. It is made for children and women. Used for various operations in the household. The second type is the traditional and most common knife. The length of the blade is not more than seventeen centimeters. It is used by hunters and fishermen. Not a single man can do without him. The third type is rarely made, because it is large and looks like a military weapon. The length of the blade is from eighteen to thirty centimeters. He is respectfully named "khotokhon".
Hunters themselves distinguish tundra and taiga knives. The difference between them is in the width of the blade. With a narrow blade, a tundra knife is often used for drilling and river. A taiga knife with a wider blade is used for cutting prey and livestock or working with wood.
Main distinguishing feature
The most important difference is that the blade of the Yakut knife is asymmetric. The knife itself has a blunt and straight back with a sharp end. Sharpen it only on one (left) side. If you look at the knife from the handle, then the side faces will be completely different. The left side is convex, completely smooth.
All knives with an asymmetric profile are sharpened from the working (right) side, but the sharpening of the Yakut knife is done only on the left. This approach has its own explanation: the master most often processes the tree. Having a left-handed knife, a person precisely regulates the depth of planing. The same feature gives the accuracy of a multifunctional planer.
Cutting frozen meat or fish is much easier, the knife goes like clockwork. Skinning an animal, dressing it with such a knife is a joy, because everything happens quickly and without delay. Another undoubted plus: you can sharpen such a knife even in the field. For this, a stone or, for example, the edge of a metal bucket is suitable.
On this basis, the Yakuts distinguish knives for right-handed and left-handed people. For the right-hander you need a standard knife sharpened on the left side. For the left-hander, you will have to make a special mirror knife.
Second feature
The right side of the blade is usually absolutely straight, in the center there is a longitudinal groove. The presence of dol on one side of the blade is another feature of the Yakut. Masters make knives with a short and thin dale or a wide blade full length. The Yakuts call him Yosom. The appearance of such a feature is explained in different ways. The first version of the occurrence of such a detail is associated with the original material for the manufacture of a knife from a bone cut along the bone. And the gutter is nothing but a hole from the bone marrow.
Another option: Yakut knives were made of two components. The base is made of soft iron, the solid part is for the blade. This was done to save strong steel. The gutter in this case was like a compensatory leash, which appeared during the hardening of two components of the blade.
The flat right side plays an important role. It brings the cross section of the blade to a quadrangular shape. To work with wood or sewing leather clothes, force must be applied. Punching effect is enhanced by such a special shape of the Yakut knife.
What is the gutter for?
There are several reasons for the relevance of the dol. In addition to saving iron, there are practical indicators. In Yakutia, frosts are often below 30-40 degrees Celsius. A knife without a dol is difficult to sharpen and edit. The blade with a thinner blade, very sharp, holds the tip well. You can grind it easily and quickly.
The wide trough when cutting the carcass allows the knife to come into contact with the meat only on the back side. The gutter remains free, the skin is removed from the animal more easily due to the reduction in the area of contact. By the recess in the blade blood flows freely.
The presence of a gutter allows you to lighten the weight of the product. The master, when forging the Yakut knife, tries to make it light so that he does not sink in the water. Fisherman, having dropped the knife from his hands, is sure that he will not drown, or at least not immediately sink to the bottom. A specific stick helps to stay afloat.
Handle
The knife handle at first glance has nothing special. They make it from a birch burl - this is a kind of growth on a tree trunk. Impregnate the finished pen with special oil. The length of the handle is thirteen to fifteen centimeters. With an individual order, the width of the palm is measured, the handle should be slightly wider, without any guards or stops. The shape of the hilt resembles an egg, a narrow part of which is directed to the blade. Having taken such a knife in his hand, the hunter feels convenience and reliability.
Sometimes the handle is made of birch bark. Fishermen have a special requirement for such products: the master must make the Yakut knife so that the handle can keep it afloat. Products with handles made of plastic or mammoth bone play the role of souvenirs. They do not use them in everyday life.
Scabbard for Yakut
A kind of scabbard is needed for the Yakut knife. Initially, an oxtail was taken for this. He was turned inside out with a stocking, a wooden insert was inserted inside. The dimensions of the insert should have been larger than the knife itself. His task was not to hold the knife, but to protect it from breakage.
The knife sheathes two-thirds of the length of the handle. In this position, the scabbard firmly held the product by the handle, and the blade remained free. They could have sheathed birch bark or wood. For attaching to the body, a lace was attached.
Traditional wear
The Yakut knife is worn on the left side or in front. Free hanging does not interfere with human movements. The hunter quickly pulls out the knife with his right hand, resting his thumb against the base of the scabbard.
The blade of the knife looks to the left, directed when removing from the scabbard to a person. It always has been, it is a tradition.
Significance of the invention
Modern craftsmen, in compliance with all traditional requirements, make the Yakut knife, the drawing of which is passed from generation to generation. The hope that the invention will not outlive itself, and the fire of love of the masters will be transmitted to posterity, is very great. Modern cold steel experts distinguish this knife with a universal and unique design.
The philosophical foundation of the knife is to use it only for creativity and work. The master creates his product as an assistant, and not for war or harm.
In Yakut families, a child from five years old received a knife. Mothers were not afraid that the boy would get hurt. The first blood and a small cut taught the baby to be careful, accurate, and therefore rational. The first knife was made specifically for the children's hand.
A man should have several knives: for domestic purposes, for woodwork and for hunting. In solemn occasions they put on an elegant knife that emphasized the status of its owner. On ordinary days, he hung over the bed. None of the household members had the right to touch him. The heirloom was inherited by the eldest of the sons.
