Antique 18th- 19th century Russian Or Ukrainian Cossack Horse Whip Nagaika

Antique 18th-19th century Russian or Ukrainian Cossack horse whip "Nagaika" (нага́йка). It is composed of a copper shaft bound in the middle by thin brass spiral straps, the lower part is bound with leather, pierced with a hole, and mounted with its original suspension leather belt. The upper part of the copper shaft is reinforced by two narrow iron strips stamped with small stars and secured by brass bolts.
It has a finely braided rawhide lash adorned with leather fringes wrapped with brass bands and secured by iron rivets with brass washers.
Most of the Russian Nagaika found for sale are examples of decorative Nagaika with thin silver-mounted shafts made in the Caucasus for export to Russia during the late 19th to the early 20th century.
This is a typical work Nagaika of massive construction made for military use. It has a robust copper shaft with iron straps and a heavy braided rawhide lash.

The Nagaika, with its main purpose of urging a horse and its secondary function as a defense against wolves, holds a significant place in Russian and Ukrainian history. According to Vladimir Dahl's 'Explanatory Dictionary of the Live Great Russian language', this Nagaika was called volkoboy (волкобой, 'wolf-slayer'). It was also used as a weapon in close combat when other weapons were not available or as a left-hand weapon with a saber, similar in form to the traditional old Russian weapon flail (Кистень).

MEASUREMENTS:
The length of the shaft is 45 cm (17,72 inches).

CONDITION: It shows signs of aging and use. The copper shaft and brass straps have old patina iron strips that are corroded. The braided rawhide lash has lost its tip, in which a piece of metal was sewn inside.