Inuit say an ulu-inspired knife, marketed for parents, is cultural appropriation and profiting off an Inuit design.
The ulu is a traditional Inuit knife. They are unique across Inuit regions but mostly have a rounded blade with a handle on top. Inuit say an ulu-inspired knife from an American company is cultural appropriation and profiting off an Inuit design. An American company says it's unlike anything "the vast majority" of people have seen.
The founders appear to be based in Fort Wayne, Indiana according to social media posts and a patent the company has on a plastic cutting board that comes with the product. Robinson started a petition, calling for Totchop to stop selling the ulu-inspired knife. That petition has over 200 signatures with comments from across the North accusing the company of stealing from Inuit.Robinson said that he and some friends have messaged the company on TikTok and Facebook and were blocked.
"If I was going to make something and I was going to use somebody else's design other than mine, it would be common courtesy if I was to go over and ask, 'would you allow me to do this?' … And if they didn't approve, I couldn't do it," he said. She said non-Inuit companies taking traditional designs should be consulting with Inuit groups and support Inuit artists and communities.
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