Bosun's cosh/starter/persuader

[LJ]

Just to complicate things further. This was part of a collection of unidentified African items, so because my brain runs in straight lines and bearing in mind the copper wire wrapping, my first thought was it was from southern Africa. And the flexible fibre ... possibly elephant hair. Somebody else commented that it looked like the type of staff carried by an Induna.

Well, if the fibre is baleen, it is unlikely to be southern African ! The ends are not particularly heavy, and I never thought of the item as a cosh, but maybe it is.

A sorry descent, from Induna's staff to fish-killing cosh ... or does anybody have a suggestion as to what else could it be ???