Nagaika

The Nagyka, nagaika, or nagayka (Russian: нага́йка; pronounced [nʌˈɡajkə]) is a short, thick whip with round cross-section used by Cossacks of Russia, borrowed from Nogai people, hence the original name "nogaika", or "Nogai's whip". It is also called камча, kamcha from the Turkic word "kamci" for "whip". The latter word is also used for short whips of Central Asian origin.

The nagyka was made out of leather strips by braiding, consisting often three metal weighted strings. It was typical to have piece of metal at the tip of the whip.

The main purpose of a nagyka was to urge a horse. A metal piece was used for defense against wolves. According to Vladimir Dahl's "Explanatory Dictionary of the Live Great Russian language", this nagayka was called volkoboy (волкобой, "wolf-slayer"). It was also used as a weapon in combat when other weapons were not available or as a left hand weapon with sabre. Nagaykas were never listed among the weaponry, at the same time there existed a traditional form of hunting, when the chased animal (fox, wolf, etc.) was killed by a nagyka. The three stringed, metal weighted nagaika was also used as throwing weapon for fowling, similarish way as the bolas.^[1]