Well you got me on the kukri. I have not ventured down that path.
The ulu has always been on my list of knives to try and our trip to Alaska last Spring made it a possibility. I figured it may end up an interesting knife with great historical value but limited use potential. Since I have yet to butcher a seal or process hundreds of salmon at a time I figured I would use this knife in the kitchen for a few things and that it would probably end up laying the the drawer.
Well that just did not happen. The first pattern I bought, the Bristol Bay felt great in the shop and I appreciated the aged caribou and old steel, but it just did not completely work in my hands in the kitchen. I used it enough to get a good feel for the potential and decided that the Fish River pattern would really shine. I was not at all dissapointed in that. This pattern seems to be ideal for my kitchen...from slicing bread, cheese, meats to chopping garlic or preping vegetables this is my first choice tool. My chef knives have not seen much time since this one arrived.
Here it is again with a few more miles on it.
The little sewing ulu is also perfect for leatherwork. I started a moccasin repair project (quite a while ago...still undone however) and found it ideal for cutting out the leather and for the various sewing aspects.
My long delayed repairs.....
The sad things:
Native tools generally have a very good reason for their existance...an Ulu definately does.
Now about those kukri's