Tibetan dog "stick" pocket flail

[ausjulius]

I purchased several of these in Ganan, a Tibetan city Gansu province in western china.
I've seen these on Tibetans belts in photographs, sometimes with a bunch of keys, typically on a leather thong and had not deduced they were weapons.
Anyway these come in many sizes, madd of brass or steel. The cord is leather, fiber or a twisted chain. Leather is most common.
They are a weapon for self defence the literal translation of the weapons name is "dog stick" there is a less lethal version made of heavy wood like a nunchuck with a long cord 60 cm or 70 cm long used like a whip to strike yaks and other livestock we herding that could be quite lethal to a human or dog. Some are iron shod
I imagine this is where the "stick" part of the name comes from.
I have attached one I own and then several images of different styles from the Chinese internets..
There was once actual fighting styles to used this for defence by its self and with a knife and other techniques with demonstrations of skill in using the dog stick and sling and bow once common and gatherings.
It's use is generally striking to the neck and head of the opponent. Bug as it can be in a rome or pocket there was techniques that in a confined space or sitting down could flick it our or throw it to strick an adversaries face .
The thing is shirt.. 30-50 cm long at most.

It's heavy enough to kill with a single blow if brough down on your head.
It's curious to note if you look closely many Tibetans carried these until not that long ago. As well as knives or daggers but we look more at the daggers and totally miss these..

[ausjulius]

Here is some more images

[ausjulius]

Some more examples of mine

[kronckew]

Cool, would be very Illegal in the UK to carry one.

[ausjulius]

Originally Posted by kronckew

Cool, would be very Illegal in the UK to carry one.

Haha well everything is illegal In the UK.
You just need to be imaginative with the shape I suppose..
In Tibetan regions people all immediately recognised what it was.
Useful multitool.
Monks also had a very large engraved handmade key on a strap for the same use.

It's a handy companion.
Some are engraved with Buddhist imagery to fish, patterns and the like.
You could see some older people in very isolated areas, herders and farmers with a belt knife, a dog flail and a sling for stones on their belt. Well armed.
I suppose wolves, stray dogs and nasty drunks could be encountered occasionally and it's best prepared that not.
But these little flails seemed totally a self defence ethnographic weapon.
People told me until the 2000snds these were an almost universal accessory . Now I'm searching pictures of Tibetans to spot these on their belts.
It seems these iron dog flails and stone slings have some strong universal cultural currency there as every Tibetan I've met outside Tibet immediately knew what they were and was familiar with them. So their decline is probably pretty recent. It didn't seem like the Chinese authorities really regulated the flails or even really knew what the were at a state level.. unlike knives ..

[Bob A]

Thank you for the very interesting content.

It's fascinating to note that more "primitive" societies accept both the need and the tools to protect themselves, that are denied to the more "civilised" among us.

Ah, progress!

[Ian]

Lest anyone think these small flails are puny weapons, a Tibetan colleague was hit with one of these by accident (wrong place at the wrong time). His cheek bone was shattered and he ended up with a nasty scar.

[ausjulius]

Originally Posted by Ian

Lest anyone think these small flails are puny weapons, a Tibetan colleague was hit with one of these by accident (wrong place at the wrong time). His cheek bone was shattered and he ended up with a nasty scar.

Yep they pack a punch for sure.
The dog would not be walking of a blow from these for sure.
There is no written instructions for their use but I have seen some old black and white pictures of the various strikes and techniques being demonstrated . You can also use the leather cord to wrap an attackers neck or wrist in a grappling situation or strike with the flail head in your hand as I'm told.
I suppose their was a whole civilian martial art to use these and the Tibetans daggers and knives but it was not something written down.
Here I have attached the only image of the less lethal wooden version , a heavy key like the type used by monks as a flail.. and an image of a herder using the wooden type

[David R]

Thanks for the information and the post. Reminds me of the Chinese Meteor Ball, and the Japanese Kusari Fundo, but with a distinctive and elegant shape all of its own. Apparently Victorian muggers used the ball version, striking for the elbow from behind to disable the victim.

[Richard G]

Reminds me somewhat of the bicycle chain, popular with gangs shortly after the war.

[Sajen]

Very interesting! Never have I heard before about this weapon! Thank you for sharing!

Regards,
Detlef