kiv-ee-ute

October 7, 2004 6:01 AM

Musk oxen have no musk glands and are not oxen. Musk Ox have a bone armor plated skull that protects their forehead. Eight times warmer than wool and extraordinarily lightweight, Qiviut is one of the finest natural fibers known to man. Color your own, make them from paper, or hunt them with caribou.
posted by pieoverdone (17 comments total)

The knitter's heart in me just got all excited. What's with the urge to kill them though? /me will never understand.
posted by Red58 at 6:19 AM on October 7, 2004

They may not have musk glands, but come on now - there must be some reason for their name.

Don't tell me that Musk Oxen smell like fresh laundry that's been hung to dry in the breezes of a warm country spring day.

I'm not buying it.

Plus, you're telling me that caribou hunt Musk Oxen ? I'm not buying that either. caribou are vegetarians, mostly, unless you refer to genetically modified meat eating caribou designed to keep down the Alaskan oil-prospector population. But normal caribou ? They're worse than root and twig munching hippy vegans even.
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That said, I'm committed to throwing my entire current wardrobe away......and replacing it with clothes made of this clearly superior fiber.

How does Musk Ox meat taste anyway ? This could be like the Emu ranching craze, but better.

I foresee big smelly not-oxen everywhere.

They could be miniaturized and kept as pets.

They could be humanized and low fat.

They'll do it all, and then some.

They won't even stink. We'll take care of that little issue.
posted by troutfishing at 6:27 AM on October 7, 2004

Musk Ox is like beef, but with a distinct gamey taste. Quite good.
posted by ODiV at 6:33 AM on October 7, 2004

Musk oxen who are not oxen also make great friends. Longtime friends with occasional grudges but also great friends. They don't like to cuddle but won't mind if you lean up against them for a bit of warmth. Also they are good for riding into battle.

They were re-introduced to Norway after having been hunted to extinction there. Would you like to be introduced to one?
posted by kahboom at 6:36 AM on October 7, 2004

We have them in Sweden, too. Only nine of them, but still!
posted by mr.marx at 6:38 AM on October 7, 2004

Plus, you're telling me that caribou hunt Musk Oxen?

I think pieoverdone was saying they could both be hunted at the same time (not one hunting the other). That's what I glean from the link, anyway.
posted by contessa at 6:45 AM on October 7, 2004

Yes, I desire an introduction to Musk Oxen who are not oxen.
posted by troutfishing at 6:46 AM on October 7, 2004

Those scarves are very expensive. $245!?! I guess I won't be getting any soon.

And BTW, buffalo meat is great. I had it years ago in DC, and boy was it MMM MMM good.
posted by daHIFI at 6:47 AM on October 7, 2004

Eight times warmer than wool

I'm curious, is this just marketing BS, or is there actually a standard metric for fabric warmth? Something like measuring the time it takes for a specified temperature differential to be equalized across a fabric barrier?
posted by Galvatron at 7:20 AM on October 7, 2004

"...is there actually a standard metric for fabric warmth?"

Yes, the tog (in the UK at least).

To calculate the tog value you divide the temperature difference across the insulator in kelvin (or degrees Celsius) by the heat flow though the insulator in watts per square metre. This gives a value of 0·1 for the thermal resistance of men's suiting fabric. However, for convenience, the workers at the Shirley Institute in Manchester in the 1940s introduced a factor of 10 to give values of about 1 and hence the tog unit was born. The name was taken from the common slang for clothes.

posted by thatwhichfalls at 7:31 AM on October 7, 2004

This is very very cool, pieoverdone. I love meeting new animals, animals that are new to me. You've inspired me to finish a post of my own that I was previously considering.
posted by Shane at 7:32 AM on October 7, 2004

Galvatron, I would imagine it would be the same or simliar to the ASTM standards that they use for sleeping bags. Done, apparently, with a heated manikin on the inside and a temp gauge on the outside.

Having felt (but never purchased) qiviut when I lived in Alaska, yes, it is that warm (and soft).
posted by m@ at 7:38 AM on October 7, 2004

Also useful if you ever wondered what that Cocteau Twins song was referring to.
posted by milovoo at 7:59 AM on October 7, 2004

Qiviut and Ulu knives are Alaska's main tourist export--since glaciers are hard to fit in your carry-on either. I learned the hard way not to put an Ulu in my carry-on. Thank goodness it was 1993 and not 2002 so I just got a warning.
posted by m@ at 8:42 AM on October 7, 2004

Of course, every single Canadian who grew up with a TV knows of the muskox, thanks to Hinterlands Who's Who. See the original, grainy film clip along with the classic, haunting and depressing theme song here.
posted by picea at 8:57 AM on October 7, 2004

uuuhh....

moo?
posted by Trik at 8:58 AM on October 7, 2004

Cleaning a Musk Ox is very very easy, mate.
posted by wildeep at 9:15 AM on October 7, 2004