Naife and 10 curiosities you don't know

Want to know the curiosities of the canary house or knife? We tell you about its origin, its history, its name and of its not, where you can buy the best Canary knives.

1. The naife that has been used in the Canary Islands for many years is a popular tool, which originated in Albacete and Toledo in the sixteenth century, despite its common denomination originating in the English word "snife".

2. The naife was used for banana cultivation. Compared to the peninsula, its steel blade has a larger size (15 to 23 cm) that can be replaced. In addition, it can be gold, silver, ivory which at the same time is adorned with Arabic style pieces.

3. Its origin is very certain to be the "knife industry" of Toledo and Albacete, where the Arabs lived after the reconquest ended in the sixteenth century. The arrival of the Castilian conquistadors and the influx of a large number of foreign traders who have arrived in the Canary Islands since that century, have promoted this Mudejar tool on the islands and its use among the islanders spread rapidly.

4. Even centuries later, documents dated 1892 were found, mentioning objects that were taken to Gran Canaria's "Las Palmas Flower Fair", which was the meeting place of the most prominent craftsmen of the time and in which it was tested, that was normal at the time, a trade in these knives, from Toledo.

5. The naife is the result of the evolution suffered by Hispanic Arabs on these islands, and in the Canary Islands, local artisans modified it to meet the needs of canaries who specialize in banana work.

6. Until the mid-19th century it was impossible to name the Canary knife, with the name to which it currently refers.

7. The ancestral tradition of making this knife is especially found in the regions of Guía, Gáldar, Arucas and Telde de Gran Canaria, according to studies related to the origin of its use on the islands, on its own.

8. To this day, there are a large number of master knifemen who guarantee the full and absolute survival of this ingrained tradition in Canarian culture, with knives that are almost works of art.

9. Currently its use, it is more related to decoration and has become a very important claim, for people who visit the islands and want to carry a very original memory.

10. In Canarias Shop, you can find a careful artisanal selection of the "naife", with models of different sizes and finishes here >> Naife in Canarias Shop