Knives from One of the Most Remote Regions of the World

Mark J

Mark J

Joined
Mar 15, 2001
Messages
2,450
Hi all,

I just returned from a trip to China. However, not a regular tourist trip, but a trip for work that required me to travel to one of the most remote regions of China. It took over 20 hours of flying time spread over 4 flights, and 9 hours of desert travel to reach the city of Hotan in NW China. It essentially takes three days of travel from the US to get there. To give you some idea, in the one village we visited, we were the first Caucasian people they had ever seen.

The people in this part of China are an ethnic minority called Uighurs (pronounced wee-gurs). Aside from all the wonderful things I experienced, I also found out that knifemaking is one of their “claims to fame”. Obviously, I needed to buy a few knives to experience this for myself. ;)

This is a small fixed blade knife and sheath combo. The scales are cow horn, OAL = 7 inches, blade is 3.5 inches, the red and green colored dots are some type of enameled paint, and the center circle is pearl. There is lots of engraving and other culturally significant elements to their knives.

fixed.jpg


This one is a folder, along the same lines as the fixed blade. Very cool blade shape, plus it even has a half-stop! The blades are scary sharp after only a couple swipes on a ceramic rod. I also love the sheath for this knife.

folder.jpg


This last picture is of a knifemaker doing his work.

worker.jpg


I just wanted to share knives that most of us will never see in our lifetime. Very cool stuff from my perspective, and I feel privileged to have experienced the area. :)

- Mark
 
I always appreciate tha opportunity to check out knives that I have never seen before. Thanks.

The folder interests me. Can you please give us an idea of what the quality is like? Also, what did you have to pay for these knives?
 
I wish to travel to Xinjiang if I ever get the chance. My wife's mother once worked in Urumqi in that region. My mother and father in law are very old and retired from the Communist Party. They have seen much history.

The Uighurs are a white race of Muslim faith. Their ancestry includes the Tokharians, who were decendants of the Aryans. Their other ancestors were the Uighur Turks who once, about 1250 years ago, were the lords of Mongolia.

The Uighurs were back then Manicheans and very civilized, as described in Grousset's EMPIRE OF THE STEPPES. They were dispossessed of Mongolia by the Kirghiz Turks, who were savages. The Uighur fled to the Tokharian oases, intermarried with them, and the resulting folks called themselves Uighur, but in private used the old Aryan language, though in public used the Turkish one. This bilingual situation eventually faded and the Uighur only speak as their native tongue the Turkic idiom.

Around 80 years after they were kicked out of Mongolia, a Mongol tribe called the Khitan (whence "Cathay") drove the Kirghiz back into Siberia. The Khitan Khan offered to restore Mongolia to the Uighur, but they declined to return to the nomadic life. They had become farmers and liked it that way.

The Uighur helped to provide Jenghiz Khan's Mongols with tax collectors and bureaucrats.

Relations between the Uighurs and the Han, (such as my wife) are not good. Part of it may be due to the 1862 Muslim Rebellion, in which both sides fought without quarter.

The Uighurs culturally are Islamic and are different by race from the Han. The Uighurs hanker toward the Middle East in culture, not China. The Uighurs complain of discrimmination and every few years Xinjiang sees a terrible race riot. The Chinese Government is settleing Han people in the region, to keep the natives down by force of numbers.

I recognize that this land is validly part of China. I hope the two peoples will eventually work matters out.
 
Whoa, Chris. You're like a walking encyclopedia, my friend. Thanks for all the background information! You're right about the tensions between the Hans and Uighurs -- we could tell.

Keith: The craftsmanship is what you'd expect from a place like this. The basic fit is fine. In other words, no blades rubbing liners, no gritty action, no space between the scales and bolsters, no wobble or blade play, tight spring action, nice balance. On the other hand, the finish is somewhat rough. There are visible grind lines, some of the enameling paint is a bit sloppy, bolsters not perfectly symmetrical, etc. Overall, I'd rate it a bit below one of the HI kukuris in overall workmanship.

Regarding what I paid, they were each in the <$15 USD range. Although if you pro-rate my airfare, time, etc. they are the most expensive knives in my collection. :)

- Mark
 
excellent. thanks for sharing. I always like to find out more about ethnic blades.
 
Hey Mark, did you ever make it to Kuqa, Aksu, or some of the other Turkestan cities?

Kuqa was famous on the Silk Road for its culture and dancing girls; Hami was and still is famous for its melons.

The Chinese about 2100 years ago were in this area to fight the Xiong-Nu (Huns). The Chinese general Pan Chao was one of the greatest of history's soldiers, and the Chinese once even captured a peculiar band of soldiers with square shields fighting for the Huns. Apparantly these were Romans who had been deported by the Parthians (who had crushed Crassus) to far east Iran; the Huns seem to have perhaps convinced them to desert their new masters, and they would up fighting for the Hun shan-yu (king).

At Dun Huang in Kansu are magnificent Buddhist paintings in the caves, made when via the old Aryans cultural influence from India was still strong. Sadly the Muslims defaced some of them (I am a Muslim myself but do not like iconoclasm).

Anyhow, the Chinese were in Central Asia for about 800 years, then at the Battle of the Talas River (about 751) they lost it all in a single stroke. In the 18th Century China under the Manchus came back to reconquer it from the pagan Mongol Khans of the area, who ruled it but refused to make submission to the Manchus (other Mongols did so, I may add).

In about 1770 the Manchu regime made war on, and totally destroyed the Dzungar Mongols and just about exterminated them, about three million people were killed.

It was in 1862 that the Muslims revolted seeking the independence that the Mongols lost for the region. This was one of three rebellions at the time: there was another Muslim rebellion in Yunnan, and there was the Christian Ta'i Ping Rebellion. The emperors crushed all three with terrible ferocity. About 40 million people died, which makes these rebellions one of the worst human disasters in history.

I read that at one Chinese fort in Xinjiang the Manchu soldiers refused to surrender, they ate their food, then their horses, then they killed and ate their slaves, then they killed and ate their own wives and children, then they fought to the last man against the Muslims.

When the Chinese armies reconquered the area, they were faced with guerrilla warfare. They dealt with it by criss-crossing the land, killing every man, woman, and child, until all resistance ceased.

From such a history you can see why Uighur and Han do not get along easily. The Chinese complain that the Uighurs do not want to learn Mandarin which would allow them better jobs and lessen discrimination; and the Uighurs see this as a lessening of their culture. Sadly, this is a situation like that in Paleastine, where both sides have valid claims and violence is almost around the corner most of the time.

Since a lot of Uighurs look very European, they often stand in for the same in Chinese movies. I am told a Uighur crowd would not look out of place in Southern Italy, and that blondes and redheads are not unknown.

Chris
 
Outstanding! Any more pics, esp. knife related? Thanks!
 
Nasty: Sorry, that's pretty much it for pictures. I bought two of the same type of folder, and just the one fixed blade. I knew I should have spent more time/money. :rolleyes: :(

- Mark
 
Mark,

Very different, and interesting, looking knives.

How did you get them home? Did you just put them in your checked baggage? My wife will soon be going to Mongolia and I was curious if she would have any hassles bringing a knife home.

Thanks,

-SAK
 
Mark, really like those knives. I second the question about how you brought them home. I'd like to bring things back when I go abroad too.
Chris, great history lesson. Thanks - I really enjoyed it.
Bob
 
jeez, noone asked what the blade steel is?

they're beautiful knives.. i'd think the rough finish on them would really give them alot of character..
 
Thanks Mark and Thanks Chris. Enjoyed the history/cultural lessons as much as the knives.

When is some sharpie going to import them to us? Be a lot more interesting to own than one of the Chinese made Winchesters...

Phil
 
As far as the trip home, they just traveled in my checked luggage. I didn't have any problem whatsoever. I like them, in part, because they are rough finished, but yet have some very intricate metal and horn work. I actually bought two of the folding knives, so one of these days I might part with the extra one.

- Mark
 
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