Photo: How to make a stone ulu

Inuit used to produce ulu blades without any metal tools, and Nunavik’s Avataq Cultural Institute explains how: When slate stones are hit with a hard hammer in the right direction, this stone tends to split in sheets. A blow on the side will detach a flake with a circular distal end (A) when the surface of the block is flat. After being retouched, the flake can be polished in order to produce an ulu blade, which is then fixed to a handle with the help of drilled holes. Another technique, documented in the region around Inukjuak, is when the slate is compact enough that is can be chipped to form the ulu shape (B), then polished and attached to a handle. (IMAGE COURTESY OF AVATAQ ARCHAEOLOGY)