| Eskimo bowline | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Names | Eskimo bowline, Sitka loop, anti-bowline, Cossack knot, Kalmyk loop |
| Category | Loop |
| Origin | Ancient |
| Related | Kalmyk loop, bowline, cowboy bowline, sheet bend |
| Releasing | Non-jamming |
| Typical use | Placing a loop in the end of a rope |
The Eskimo bowline, Cossack knot (Russian: Казачий узел), reverse bowline, or 'anti-bowline' is in a class of knots known as 'eye knots' or 'loop knots'. The eye is formed in the end of the rope to permit attachments/connections. It is quite common in Russia and is often used instead of the bowline (ABoK #1010). In the simple bowline, the collar component forms around the 'standing part'. In contrast, the collar component of an Eskimo bowline forms around the outgoing eye-leg.
On the first of arctic explorer John Ross' expeditions (1818) the Inuit (Eskimos) presented him a sled that contained several of these knots, showing that it is a genuine Inuit knot.[1] The knot is not mentioned in The Ashley Book of Knots but in its Russian equivalent, the book "Морские узлы" [2] (Marine Knots) by Lev Skryagin (1930–2000). The slipped version is known as Kalmyk loop.
The Eskimo bowline is about as strong as and even more secure than the bowline,[4][1] especially in synthetic lines.
Under cross load (ring loading, transverse loading profile), i.e. when the loop is pulled apart, the shown common Eskimo loop effectively mimics an ends-opposite (and inferior) left-hand sheet bend and thus can slip like the bowline; the less common Eskimo loop variant with the A–C loop (see bowline family diagram) would give a proper same-side sheet bend, thus being much stronger under cross load. Similarly, when the eye of a simple Bowline is subject to a transverse loading profile, it mimics the inferior version of the Lapp bend, and so can slip and untie; the wrongly demeaned left-handed or cowboy bowline becomes the proper Lapp bend, and should hold.[citation needed].
All of the maneuvers to tie this knot are generally in the opposite (or 'anti' direction) relative to the bowline. Dan Lehman[who?] regards the general, bowline-like structure of the A–C variant as an 'anti-bowline' in the sense that tying maneuvers are performed in a general 'anti' direction relative to the simple #1010 Bowline. After forming the 'nipping loop' with C & D (which can be formed as 'S' or 'Z' chirality) the working end is fed through that loop from the same side A as the outgoing eye leg C. This is opposite (or 'anti') direction relative to the simple (#1010) Bowline (A–D on opposite sides).
The so called 'Eskimo' Bowline has also been known as Boas Bowline and Cossack knot - all of these names referring to the same structure. The Kalmyk loop[5][6] can be made 'TIB' (Tiable In the Bight); however, it will not be 'EEL' (Either End Loadable).
