The nagaika[1] (
Russian: нага́йка, pronounced[nɐˈɡajkə]) is a short, thick
whip with round cross-section used by
Cossacks, borrowed from
Nogai people, hence the original name "nogaika", or "Nogai's whip".[2] 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 nagaika was made out of leather strips by
braiding. It was possible to have a piece of metal at the tip of the whip.
In modern times the descriptions of the military use of nagaika tend to be mythologized, and in the past the prime and predominant use was to drive horse.[3] At the same time nagaika was known to be used against unarmed people, e.g., for
corporal punishment or to disperse public disorders[4] (e.g., during
Russian Revolutions),[5] so that a cossack with nagayka has become a symbol of tsarist oppression.
In 2005 the
Cossacks were reformed and armed with nagaikas in addition to other traditional weapons. In 2014, members of
Pussy Riot were attacked by Cossacks wielding nagaikas and
pepper spray while protesting.[6]
^Lally, Kathy (19 February 2014).
"Whip-wielding Russian Cossacks attack Pussy Riot members near Sochi Olympics". The Washington Post. Retrieved 27 September 2015. Members of the performance-art group Pussy Riot were attacked on a public plaza Wednesday by Cossacks brandishing whips and discharging pepper spray, a day after police picked them up and held them for nearly four hours without charges.
The nagaika[1] (
Russian: нага́йка, pronounced[nɐˈɡajkə]) is a short, thick
whip with round cross-section used by
Cossacks, borrowed from
Nogai people, hence the original name "nogaika", or "Nogai's whip".[2] 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 nagaika was made out of leather strips by
braiding. It was possible to have a piece of metal at the tip of the whip.
In modern times the descriptions of the military use of nagaika tend to be mythologized, and in the past the prime and predominant use was to drive horse.[3] At the same time nagaika was known to be used against unarmed people, e.g., for
corporal punishment or to disperse public disorders[4] (e.g., during
Russian Revolutions),[5] so that a cossack with nagayka has become a symbol of tsarist oppression.
In 2005 the
Cossacks were reformed and armed with nagaikas in addition to other traditional weapons. In 2014, members of
Pussy Riot were attacked by Cossacks wielding nagaikas and
pepper spray while protesting.[6]
^Lally, Kathy (19 February 2014).
"Whip-wielding Russian Cossacks attack Pussy Riot members near Sochi Olympics". The Washington Post. Retrieved 27 September 2015. Members of the performance-art group Pussy Riot were attacked on a public plaza Wednesday by Cossacks brandishing whips and discharging pepper spray, a day after police picked them up and held them for nearly four hours without charges.