Vanuatu Nalot Knife - Handcrafted Traditional Pacific Island Knife for Bushcraft, Survival & Cultural Collection - Perfect for Outdoor Adventures, Camping & Display

Nalot is a pudding usually made from breadfruit or manioc mixed with coconut milk. It is a traditional staple food of northern Vanuatu which is prepared by pounding and cooking the breadfruit.  A wooden pounder is used on a specially made wooden plate. Once the pudding is cooked, a wooden nalot knife is used to divide and cut the nalot.

Because it was traditionally the role of men to make and cut the nalot, the pounders and knives are carved with designs that reflect spiritual aspects of secret men’s societies and the rank of the man using the pounder and knife. 

Many knives from Banks Islands (where these Torba knives are from) have a hole or a series of holes in the handle that represent the sacred fires or ovens in the men’s houses and reflect the owner’s rank. Others have the form of a human figure. Each section is separated by a carved ridge indicating the barriers that separate the different  fires in the hut.