Basque knives of yesterday
The Basque shepherd's knife
The oldest knife used in the Basque country was the shepherd’s knife. It was already found in our Pyrenean mountains in the 12th century. A simple knife, most often made of ovidae horn or wood, the Couteau de Berger (Shepherd’s Knife) had a sage-leaf-shaped blade with a friction system known as a two-nail system. A pin to allow the blade to pivot and a stop to stop it in the open position.
Le Betiko
Shepherd’s knife from the southern Basque country, features a broad, pot-bellied blade decorated with a Basque cross. As early as the 17th century, its handle was fashioned from local horns, such as those of rams and black-headed ewes. A folding knife using the so-called two-nail system, it’s surprisingly light.
The Basque Yatagan of 1695
Found painted on the lintel of a house in the village of Irissarry. Francisco de Aguerre, who made it in the 17th century, was a cutler and barber. Its blade resembles that of the Spanish navaja, slender and with a curved tip. The handle is made of blond horn, black horn or wood. We make them in our workshop with a rotating ferrule system or a square-notch spring system.
Le Couteau Basque
From Cambo les bains, takes the form of the discoidal stele found in the Basque country since the 11th century. This folding knife, dating from 1722, is engraved with various symbols, such as the famous Basque cross (Lauburu) drawn on the facades of white houses. The handle can be made of wood, black or blond horn, or Basque sheep’s horn. We make them in our workshop using a two-nail system or a square-notch spring system.
L'Ezpeletakoa
Dates from the late 19th century. It was made in the village of Espelette until 1871 by cutler Pierre Dufourcq. Our workshop has unearthed it from the past and still makes it today in the Basque country. The handle can be made of various woods, blond horn or black horn. The blade, in forged carbon steel or stainless steel, is engraved with 7 “S” representing the seven Basque provinces.
