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Thanks for that, really appreciate it.

Thanks.

@@timbo66 no worries. Nice you made a reproduction of one. Good work. There is lots of myths and misinformation about these mountain ethnic groups in eastern Europe. They are diverse but all are a common culture. They are Slavic linguistically but I.suspect genetically they are Slavs an earlier people Celtic probably as that's always the case in mountain areas the older groups stays longer. They also love these long handled axes. There is many styles they order final from Turkic and Mongolian style axes used on horseback but there they are used on foot. Search Carpathian axe. The Hungarians have these too. The style probably came to Europe with the huns or the Magyars from central Asia. Think axe meets hammer on a long handle. About the mountain peoples knives there is quite a few blade shapes. Some look more like a Germanic seax others are like your knives. The biggest I've seen were 30 cm blades. More like a weapon. Most are tools for skinning. Cutting meat, carving and other tasks. Some blade styles are very similar to ancient iron age Celtic and Illyrian knives in blade shape (not handle shape) There is only a few traditional makers of these knives left in Europe a couple in Poland maybe I think. Maybe one in Slovakia. In Ukraine these people have been harshly assimilated by the communists in their ukrainiazation programme and even today Ukraine denies them the right to be recognised as distinct ethnic groups. In Poland and Slovakia it was a similar case for many years too so many traditional things fade away. Slavic languages are so similar so it's easy to say "these are polish" or "these are Slovaks or Ukrainians" living along boarders makes your identity become political. But historically these mountain people seem to have shared a common culture and identity distinct from the others around them. There was a bit of a "national awakening" in the 19th century but it was never very defined. Most people have just assimilated into the country they are in now. You should make some more of these ! I think I'll one too on the weekend if I've time. They are very obscure I have some old.ones. some have carved handles or are impaired with tin cast into the wood or with wire hammered in

Thanks! I intend to make many more knives and videos.

They have unless you dont belong here

True, excellent fun!

Not a problem in my part of the UK, but I would sooo love to be able to say that. Top marks mate!

Thanks. It does nothing at all to reduce crime. Gun and knife crime is at record levels despite our `oh so tough` laws...but no right to self defence.

I do like those old timer knives.

Exellent comments. Long story, this knife took much longer than I thought and I ran out of patience, hence the handle and lack of decoration. You know what you`re talking about, many thanks.

Your work looks excellent 👍

Many thanks, I did compress a complex history to a few short minutes. By a brilliant coincidence, my Polish Mrs got back tonight with a bottle of Janosik vodka!

@@piotrolszowkawujekpiotrek5384 Thank you. My Mrs, and distant family are Polish, what a complex history that country has.

@@timbo66 Janosik was Slovak :-) he comes to polish side of Tatra only for the work: robbing etc

@@timbo66 If you want, there is some sources about Tatra's "zbójniks" (Zbójnik means highwayman but the therm is used only for specific ethnic group of robbers in Karpathy and Tatra Mountain, in other parts of Poland bandits was called "zbój" or "rozbójnik") . Tradition of making such kives is still live, there some of blacksmith who make them for tourists, but you can demand special work (for special price) and it will be piece of art. Important thing is decoration: zbójniks loved showing off their wealth in a peasant, highlander style: every day they dressed in finery, they wore many decorations, when they went to the mountains and went out to robbery, they put on clothes that a normal highlander would only wear to church. While knives of a similar type were carried by highlanders from the region, shepherds, hunters, lumberjacks, etc., i.e. everyone working in the forest or mountains... Zbójniks liked to have valuable and richly decorated things. Therefore, an ordinary highlander's knife would have brass finishes and rather simple decorations (often carved or burn on wood), while a zbójnik's knife had very rich decorations. Good movie about zbójniks is "Janosik. True story" and funny movie is tv adventure serial "Janosik" from 1973... but the most funny are non possible to translate dialogues in language of polish mountaneers... So you'll lost some of fun. TV serie showing life of Tatra's mountaneers is "Family of Gąsienica's" (polish: "Ród Gąsieniców") is good but probably not translated.

It`s a bit old, now sold to tourists in the region.

Well, it's from Tatra only. You have to go to ethnographic museum.

​@@piotrolszowkawujekpiotrek5384muzeum tatrzańskie w Zakopanem

:)

Many thanks.

Praise indeed! Thanks

Money spends the same even if it belongs to someone else, after all.

@@old_timey_prospector mandatory donations it is then, luck

@@adcaptandumvulgus4252 Traumatic fund-rasing, even.

I wish!

No I’ve witnessed youths openly carry machetes on the streets of England while the police just watch on 👍

@henry9406 oh Scotland, I thought it was England.

I`ve only really scratched the surface, I will be finding out more.

U mean the valaska?

@@georgegordonbrown9522 among other names, yes.

@@jeffreybarton1297 those decorations were probably used in fight. Not all original Carpathian knives have it. But the pieces looking for weapon usually have. I tested it and it can work as castet. The way these knives are worn on the belt and drawn indicates the ability to deliver quick, surprising and powerful blows in one movement to the face or head. But we don't know about using this knives in fight.

Tatra's mountaineers fought in brutal style, but effective. Other their typical weapon was mountain axe called ciupaga... It was light axe on long handle, good as walking stick, as tool... And weapon to fast and strong hit. Mountain highwaymen called zbójnik typically used ciupaga, knife (usually they have more than one, some of them were tools), two flintlock pistols and sometimes short musket. In 17-18th century many of them were deserters from Habsburg's army.

@@piotrolszowkawujekpiotrek5384 They sound pretty awesome! That Ciupaga sounds like a great tool/weapon. I wonder if anyone has made replicas of it?

@@jeffreybarton1297 At the market in Nowy Targ on some days you can meet blacksmiths who have been making them for the highlanders for several generations, approximately since 1870. You can buy a decorative version, with buzzing accessories, or a simple one, hardened and sharp, or just decorative. To choose from. Highlanders still buy them because they are part of traditional clothing. and tourists... I have a straight, hardened, sharp one. It is really good weapon, similar to some old weapon from 17th century as czekan, nadziak or obuch.

I would like give you some examples but the links disappeared... Yt don't like other sources...

They were popular here then, thats when I had my first. This is the first one I`ve seen in years.

Decorative

Decorative I believe, but can be a nasty weapon too.

@@timbo66 thought they maybe had a purpose, never seen anything like that on a knife.

@@boogboog8097 Nor me. Looks good though. Carpathian culture has a long and complicated history.

Pretty much, although thinner than a Bowie.

I suspect that the blade shape was primarily a rib spreader ie, to penetrate between the ribs to the vital organs, I will leave your imagination to complete the aesthetics.

It's been around long before a bowie first appeared.

Thanks. I have a pillar drill attachment thing, much more accurate than a hand drill, and chamfer one end of the pin. Helps them go in better.

Thanks

Da!