Bullwhip

A bullwhip is a single-tailed whip, usually made of braided leather, which was originally used as a farmer's tool for working with livestock.

History

Bullwhips are agricultural tools, traditionally used to control livestock in open country. A bullwhip's length, flexibility and tapered design allows it to be thrown in such a way that, towards the end of the throw, part of the whip exceeds the speed of sound - thereby creating a small sonic boom. Many modern 'sport' whip crackers claim that the bullwhip was rarely, if ever, used to strike cattle, but this is a matter for debate.

The origins of the bullwhip are also a matter for debate and, given the perishable nature of leather, are likely to remain so. Difficulties in tracing its development also arise from regional and national variations in nomenclature. There are claims that it was developed in South America, or arrived there from Spain, but Roman mosaics[1] and earthenware[2] dating to around the second and third century CE. show what appear to be tapered drop-lash whips, rather than the two-piece whips often associated with the Romans and other ancient cultures. Given that the same basic design appears in several primary sources, it seems likely that this is not a stylistic coincidence but a depiction of a design of whip in current use at the time the articles were made.

During the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, as rural economies became increasingly mechanised, demand for all types of whip diminished. By the middle of the 20th Century, bullwhip making was a dying craft, with only a few craftsmen left making good quality whips.

In the latter half of the 20th Century, attempts to preserve traditional crafts, along with a resurgence of interest in Western performance arts and the release of films such as Raiders of the Lost Ark (in which the hero, Indiana Jones, uses a bullwhip as a tool), led to an increased interest in whip cracking as a hobby and performance art, as well as a competitive sport. Whip cracking competitions focus on the completion of complex multiple cracking routines and precise target work; although it should be noted that other whips, apart from bullwhips, are also used in such competitions.

The bullwhip is still used for herding cattle but in countries, such as the UK, where other types of whip were historically used in agriculture and transport, public perception of the bullwhip commonly focuses on its links with BDSM. The growth of whip cracking as a leisure activity, coupled with increasing demand from the BDSM community for high quality whips that are easy to use for long periods of time, has enabled a new generation of whip makers to become established, producing whips that move away from the traditional, long, heavy American bullwhip towards lighter, high quality whips that can be used for long periods with great accuracy and without causing undue fatigue. Such whips have become popular in the sport whip cracking world, as well, enabling participants to push the limits of complexity in their routines and enabling increasing numbers of women and younger people to take up whip cracking as a hobby.

At the present time, makers of good quality bullwhips can be found on every continent except Asia. Whereas, in times past, the bullwhip was designed for a single specific purpose, modern whip makers design their whips for different purposes and to suit different throwing styles. A few whip makers will refuse to sell bullwhips for specific usage, such as for BDSM, or as weapons. Regardless of their intended end use, all bullwhips have certain common features.

Anatomy of the Bullwhip

A bullwhip consists of a handle section, a thong, a fall, and a cracker. A wrist loop may also be present, although its chief purpose is for hanging one's whip on a hook. Aesthetically, it finishes the handle.

The main portion of the bullwhip's length is made up of a braided body or thong. Made of many strips of leather, the number of braids or plaits is an important factor in the construction of the whip. Often the thong is multilayered, having one or more "bellies" in the center. High-quality bullwhips will have at least two bellies, made of braided leather like the surface of the whip, though with less plaits. Lower-quality whips may have no bellies at all, and are sometimes stuffed with materials such as newspaper which will break down with use. Unlike in the Australian stock whip, the thong connects in line with the handle (rather than with a joint), or even engulfs the handle entirely.

The handle is usually short, being between 8 and 12 inches long. While some whips have an exposed wooden grip, others have an intricately braided leather covered handle. Leather-covered handles usually contain a butt foundation, which is held in the palm of the hand when cracking, and can have a wrist loop, used for hanging the whip at the end of the day, not for putting around the wrist during use. Some handles swivel, making it easier to do certain types of cracks but making it harder to do others, or to use the whip for targeting.

Bullwhips are usually measured from the butt of the handle to the end of the plaiting of the thong. The thong typically terminates at a fall hitch - a series of half hitches that neatly tie the replaceable fall (or tail) to the whip. Whips range in length from 3ft to very long bullwhips of 20ft with some examples being even longer.

A fall is a single piece of leather, typically slightly thicker than the braids used in the thong, and between 10 and 30 inches in length. During trick shots, or target work the fall is usually the portion of the whip used to cut, strike, or tie the target. The fall can also be a continuation of one of the strands used in plating the overlay. Further, the fall can be an extension of the core of the whip, with the strands from the overlay tied off, and the core continuing on as the fall.

Tied to the end of the flexible fall, is an even more flexible piece of string or nylon cord or wire called the cracker or the popper. Some sources state that the cracker is the portion of the whip that makes the loud noise known as the sonic boom, but this is misleading. A whip without a cracker will still make a sonic boom, but it will be less audible unless you are standing directly in front of it. The cracker functions to disperse the sound so it can be heard more easily. Cracking a whip causes wear to the cracker, and well used whips frequently require new crackers.

Bullwhips come in many different weights, materials, and designs. Some light whips use shot loading or lead weighting to affect their balance. Though usually made of strips of leather, nylon whips (often using paracord) have become popular -- they were initially developed in wet climates where leather is difficult to maintain, but have gained a following in America because they are less expensive than leather. In America, cowhide and oxhide leathers are most common for construction with kangaroo also being used; these first two tend to be quite thick and sturdy and are good for harsh conditions. In Australia, where whipmaking still thrives, kangaroo leather is by far the most popular, being very pliable. Most whip-crackers doing target work prefer a whip made of kangaroo skin. Kangaroo hide is preferable is because it is many times stronger than cow hide and can be cut in to fine, strong laces. Whip making is still alive and well in the world, where one would have little trouble locating a whipmaker using the internet.

See also

• Whip

References and further reading

• Andrew Conway, The New Bullwhip Book, LOOMPANICS UNLIMITED, 2005. ISBN 1559502444
• David Morgan, Whips and Whipmaking, Cornell Maritime Press; 2nd edition (March 2004). ISBN 0-87033-557-X
• Ron Edwards, How to Make Whips, Cornell Maritime Press, 1999. ISBN 0-87033-513-8.

External links

• Bullwhip.org
• Bullwhip-Info.com
• SnakeWhip.com
• Whip Types: An article about the main types of whip used by modern whip crackers.