I have a new flogging toy, and it's rather an interesting one...
It's a kamcha, a traditional riding whip from Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan is in Central Asia, bordering Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan in the south, Russia in the north, Russia and the Caspian Sea in the west, and China in the east. More than a hundred ethnic groups live there. And no, Borat isn't from one of them, lol, although he certainly dragged the country through it's 15 minutes of fame with his film. I was amused in 2006 when Kazakh horsemen took part in the Mayor's Parade in London and invited Borat's alter ego Sacha Baron Cohen to take part in their fierce horse games. He was nowhere in sight!
The kamcha also achieved 15 minutes of fame a few years back when one was presented to female astronaut Peggy Whitson:
"Spacewoman takes whip into orbitWonder if she used it?"A female astronaut set to take charge of the International Space Station has been given a whip to keep her crew in line.
"Peggy Whitson was presented with a "kamcha" - a traditional Kazakh riding whip - a day before she is due to blast off. A Russian official at the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Sergei Semchenko, said the gift was to help her keep her male crew in line.
"The 47-year-old biochemist will be the first woman to command the ISS. It will be her second trip there. Ms Whitson laughingly accepted the whip saying she hoped she would not have to use it but would take it just in case..."
It would be rather effective as a restraining tool. The whip is made of intricately plaited leather. Here's a pic of the end of the tail.
The plaited leather is attached to an elaborately decorated silver metal handle.
It makes a vicious hiss as it's whipped through the air. Hmmm. Looking forward to trying this out in our new play space ... I promise to post more soon....
Photos: Ms160 and National Geographic
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