A Knife in Alaska (An Alaskan necessity)
I am Greg Mete Jr. I live in Kodiak, home of the Kodiak Brown Bear, the largest land carnivore on Earth.
Knives are excellent tools. When I grow up I plan to be a knife maker. On the island of Kodiak knives prove to be very useful. I seem to find joy with sitting outside and whittling a piece of wood.
One of the main pastimes in Kodiak is fishing. We have a very large salmon run in the summer and everybody fishes. When fishing you should always have a knife, such as one that is plain edged. Once a person catches a salmon he should gut it. To gut a fish you take a knife and cut open the stomach of the fish. Also, you need the knife to fillet the fish. Filleting is when a person takes a knife and cuts off the meat on the fish you are going to eat. This is one way knives are useful here.
Knives can be useful for hunting, and there is a lot of hunting in Kodiak. Deer, caribou, bears, ducks, hares, and mountain goats abound. Almost every time of the year hunters are looking for game. As soon as you have shot the game you must take out a hunting knife and gut it. Once the animal has been gutted you skin it with a knife. Most hunting knifes are curved and wide, making it efficient for cutting game both big and small.
Kodiak is the second largest island in the country; there is a lot of wilderness to get lost inover 800 square miles. There are over 15,000 people on this island most of it is uninhabited. Occasionally people find themselves in survival situations. One of the most important things to have when you are lost out in all of that wilderness is a knife. A lost person could use a knife in several ways to survive. One thing he could make is a spear to catch fish and have something to eat. Another way to catch food is to cut of all the twigs on a stick and make a little cage to catch game when it walks under it. Some other things to do is to make a huge spear to ward off a bear that could attack you, make a shelter, or cut off a branch to make a smoke signal or a fire.
One of the responsibilities of owning a knife is to keep it well maintained. For keeping a knife in good condition you should always keep your knife lightly oiled in the pivot spaces to keep a smooth action, locks and blade to prevent rust from forming. Also, a knife owner should keep his knife well sharpened because a sharp knife is safer than a dull knife. Sharp knives are safer than dull knives because when you cut something with a sharp knife the chances of slipping and cutting yourself are lessened. If a person keeps good care of his knives they can last a lifetime.
To be a proper knife owner you should know the safety rules. The most important rule is to treat your knife with respect and proper treating so that a tool that could potentially hurt you wont hurt you. Never cut toward yourself or put your fingers in front of the knife when it is moving. Spread your legs when using a knife so that the knife cant reach them. If you cut something with all of your strength the knife could slip and cut you, so you shouldnt cut with your full strength. I love and respect knives so I follow these rules to be a proper knife owner.
This is why I think knives are important and fun to use.
