Vintage African fly whisks, made with complete tails from different local animals.
The history of the fly whisk is actually much more layered than one might expect at first glance. Not only is it a simple practical tool, which has been used for hundreds (if not thousands) of years, but also its symbolic association with royalty and other people of very high standing has a very old history.
Let's take a more detailed look at this. In one way, a fan made of lightweight material such as an animals tail (or plant material for example) is simply used as a very practical fly whisk. As such it is often seen in the hands of the servants of royal (or other very important) people; to whisk the flies away from their faces. By association, the image of the fly whisk became an important symbol of royalty, leading to it also being held in the hands of the royal people themselves as a symbol of their status.
In Hindu and Buddhist tradition, this concept was even further extrapolated into incorporating a yak tail whisk (chamara) in the iconography of Hindu and Buddhist deities and in ritual practices associated with them. The chamara has become a symbol for reverence, service and devotion. As such a chamara is an important personal attribute for Hindu and Buddhist spiritual practitioners.
These whisks here in our shop come from African origin and have been made with tails from different local animals. They are from vintage origin, but overall in good condition. The tails have been stretched and sewn around a wooden stick, from which the end also serves as handle. So please note that these tails are for the most part rigid preparations; only the tail tips are moving freely.
These vintage whisks are of course a great tribal collectors item 'as is', but might also be good material to craft your own ritual attributes with.
Three available. Seen from left to right on the overview pictures:
* waterbuck; approximately 60 centimeters long, including the handle
* wildebeest; approximately 80 centimeters long, including the handle
* eland antelope; approximately 62 centimeters long, including the handle
Sold per piece, you can choose your favorite one via the selection-menu.
