Glossary...

Orion

Orion

Joined
Oct 4, 1998
Messages
529
OK...
I know a little bit about kuks and some of the terms used.
I need a glossary. Is there one in existence already or could
someone just post in this thread....
I see words that I "think" I sometimes understand but I
am not sure. I know that many words are names of the kamis and
some words are the "type" or "style" of blade/knife.
Some of the words that automatically jump to mind are listed
below. I know a few of them already but have listed them so others
that are clueless will have a resource. If anyone can give a full
translation and meaning/definition/description for the words
it would be appreciated. If any others I have not listed come to
mind please post them, too.

chiruwa
sirupati
panawal
gangawal
ang khola
kages katnes
Sanu
Kumar
YCS
chape
villager
chakma
karda
cho
Garud
Ghopte
kora
Murali
Kobra
Bhimsen
BAS
ganga ram
tarwar
UBE
kothimoda
kukhuri
gurkha
WW2
HIKV
Bura

That's about all I can come up with off the top of my head and
from perusing the forum. Like I said, some of these are well
known and some are obvious but I just wanted to make the list
complete so newbies would have a place for info. If there is already
a FAQ, please just point me in the right direction!!!!

Thanks!!!
Cam
 
I give up. Welcome to the cantina. Someone will be along and start helping in a bit if they already haven't.




[This message has been edited by Rusty (edited 12-20-2000).]
 
Dont worry you'll get it after a while.Took me about 72 hour to figure most of it out.That is 72 hours in front of my computer during a timeperiod of 120 hours
smile.gif


I'll give you some help : The "funny" names of khukries (sirupati,gangwal,BAS for example) depends on where the particular model comes from in Nepal or what it is used for.Good luck.

Best regards
Daniel

------------------
boys newer grow up,it's only their toys getting more expensive....
 
It would make an excellent addition to the FAQ's, though... OH, HOWARD...
 
Here is a list of some of the terms I know, separated into categories. You experts feel free to make corrections and additions.

Khukuri styles:
Kobra - a very long, thin kukhri favored by martial artists
BAS - British Army Service, styled after the ones used today in the army
GRS - Ganga Ram Special-made by a old kami named Ganga Ram who was commissioned to make several kukhris (my personal favorite)
tarwar - a traditional Nepalese knife/sword that is straight (no bend or curve)
UBE - Uncle Bill Especiale-made by the kamis as a special thank-you to Uncle Bill, has a unique point
kothimoda - indicates that the khukri or sword is a fancy display model with silver mountings and tracings on the scabbard
kukhuri - the generic term for the Nepalese knife, believed by some to descend from a sword used by the ancient Greeks
gurkha - a Nepalese soldier, gurkhas serve to this day in the British Army, their weapon of choice is the kukhri
WW2 - based on the model used by ghurkas in the Second World War
YCS - Yvsa Cherokee Special - designed by our very own Yvsa, includes a more curved blade (rather than angled) and some decorative insets in the handle and an extra awl
sirupati - a traditional khukri style that is lighter and thinner than some of the other styles
ang khola - a traditional model, considered to be the workhorse of the khukris, very strong and sturdy
kages katnes - a very small kukhri, literally translated as "paper cutter"
villager - a kukhri made by a kami not employed by HI, can be of varying styles and sizes, finish is not as good as the HI ones


Parts of a kukhri:
cho - the decorative indentation on the bottom edge of a khukri right before the blade begins, the meaning of which is lost in antiquity
chakma - comes with a kukhri, used to steel the blade back into line, also used to start fires
karda - comes with a kukhri, used as a utility knife
chape - the brass fitting at the bottom of the sheath, used to (accidentally) poke holes in car seats, furniture, etc.


Names of different kamis (a kami is the name for a smith who makes kukhris, in some Buddhist societies a very low-caste person, the name is not used politely in Nepal)
Sanu
Kumar
Bura
Murali
Chiruwa


HIKV - Himalayan Imports Kukhri Virus - a deadly, incurable disease contracted with ones first contact with an HI kukhri - symptoms can be alleviated somewhat by a continued supply of HI kukhris

Not sure of the following ones:
Garud
Ghopte
kora
Bhimsen
panawal
gangawal

 
:

Chiruwa - A handle with wood, buffalo horn or other material slabs riveted on.
Most khukuris come with a "stick or rat tail" tang.

Bura - The royal kami and foreman of BirGhorka.

Sanu - Kami that is quickly catching up and sometimes surpassing Bura in quality and designs.

Kumar - Another kami and the designer of the Kumar Karda and Kumar Kobra.

Chape - The brass, silver, steel or leather piece on the point of the scabbard that's supposed to protect the scabbard from damage, but usually winding up pokeing holes in things you don't want holes in.

Chakma - The dull pointed tool used to "steel" the blade and was once used with flint to make fire.

Karda - The small utility knife. You can always tell the karda from the chakma since the karda is the small knife and both words start with "k."

Cho - a device usually in a sort of "trident" shape forged into the bootom of the blade at or near the bolster. There are also chos that are closed, ie, the Eye of the Dove cho.
If the knife doesn't have a "cho" it is not considered a khukuri in Nepal.

kora - a type of early sword like weapon no longer in common use. And IIRC used as a defensive weapon by soldiers defending the castle or fortress walls.

Tarwar - Another early sword type weapon that is made by HI.

Garud, Ghopte, Murali, Kobra, BAS, UBE, Kothimoda, Ang Khola, Kages Katnes, Villager, WW2 also WW II, YCS, Sirupati, Gangawal.
Different styles of khukuris rangeing from the silver encrusted Kothimoda to the plain, simple roughly finished villager.

Khukuri - A curved knife made in Nepal and also the National Knife of Nepal. They're also made in India and occasionally in Pakistan and other countries bordering Nepal.

Bhimsen - not sure on this one.

Ganga Ram - An old kami that lives in the hill's of Nepal and the designer of the GRS or Ganga Ram Special. Ganga Ram made the first few of these with Bura taking over the production after Ganga Ram decided to go back to his village.

Gurkha - Correctly spelled Ghorka according to Kami Sherpa more fondly known as Pala in the HI forum and the founder and owner of Himalayan Imports and BirGhorka. And Most Notably a Ghorka himself!!!!

HIKV - Himalayan Imports Khukuri Virus.

panawal - Don't know, not a term commonly used in this forum that I recall.

Uncle Bill and the other forumites here can check out the list and see if everything is correct and accurate.

And everyone is right. A few days checking things out, reading the archives and using the search would have given you the information.
smile.gif

And the archives make for some facinating reading along with some great pix of some very interesting and sometimes very old
khukuris.
The HI Forum archives at knifeforums.com also has a very interesting and extant history as well. It goes all the way back to when Uncle Bill first brought the HI Forum to the public which IIRC was shortly after Uncle Bill first put up a Website for Himalayan
Imports. I still visit both archives on days the forum is slow as I never tire of the information _and_ the pix posted in them. I find something new each and every time I visit.

The problem I see with putting this in the FAQ's right now is that it is terriblly(sp?) incomplete. However it is a start. A complete glossary would take an awful lot of work and with HI selling over 200 models of khukuris it would take a whole lot of space to describe each one seperately.

And Howard if you decide to put this in the FAQs anyway please feel free to correct any spelling or grammar errors I have made.
smile.gif




------------------
>>>>---¥vsa---->®

Each person's work is always a portrait of himself.

---- Samuel Butler.

Khukuri FAQ
Himalayan Imports Website
 
:
LOL.
Pianoman's post wasn't up when I started. Between the both of us it is a better start than I had alone.
smile.gif




------------------
>>>>---¥vsa---->®

Each person's work is always a portrait of himself.

---- Samuel Butler.

Khukuri FAQ
Himalayan Imports Website
 
If I remember right, the terms "chiruwa," "panawal," and "pana butta" are all synonyms and are used to describe the same type of handle. Uncle Bill and the rest of us forumites use the term "chiruwa" out of respect for the kamis, who like to use the "chiruwa."

Bhimsen is Bura's son. I do not think that he is a kami, but he is the one who does the beautiful engraving on BirGorkha khukuris.

my two cents,
Christian
 
Thanks, All!!!!!

Most of the terms were what I expected... either names of kamis or types of khukuris.
Now, I guess my only problem is that I would like to know what makes each model what it is... what separates it from another model/type? Is it the length of blade? width of blade? thickness? handle (this would be the case on a chiruwa)... Is a chiruwa an animal by itself or can you get any model kuk as a chiruwa? What makes a sirupati a sirupati? Is it the thinner narrower blade? The only 2 HI kuks I have at the moment are a 30" and a 25" kobra. I am planning on getting more so I would like to know what the specs are on the most popular models (the ones listed above) are.

Thanks again!!
Cam
 
If I'm not mistaken Bhimsen is Bura's son.

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong!

 
I think I need dictionary that explains Yvsas "capital letter expressions"....
smile.gif

Seriously, what are they? I've not been able to figure any out.Cheerokee language? Internal cantina yokes? Standard US-american abbreviations? I haven't got a clue.

A curious Swede
(By the way,Is "swede" some kind of vegetable in English/American?)

------------------
boys newer grow up,it's only their toys getting more expensive....
 
Those capital letter words are important Internet short-hand expressions.

LOL means "laughing out loud".
RAOTFLMAO means "rolling around on the floor laughing my 'behind' off".

rf
 
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">"(By the way,Is "swede" some kind of vegetable in English/American?)"</font>
Click to expand...
Rutabagas.
A 15" sirupati or BAS makes an excellent rutabaga slicer [mandatory khukuri content added].
smile.gif




[This message has been edited by Berkley (edited 12-21-2000).]
 
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