Friday, February 24, 2012

Sword dance

Sword Dance


stag like....

I also like the shaska work here. Seems very....straightforward. As is this one.

And what this fellow does with a shaska is just amazing.
(He comes into it about thirty seconds in.)

ip-location map zoom

4 comments:

Nataliya Korovkina said...

(translation from Russian)
Quote "Cossacks were as innocent as children, and as powerful as Gods" Stendhal.
Cossack Shashka was specifically developed for Cossack troops and was exploited since 1881. Other names: Steppe Shashka, Don (name of the river) Shashka.

There's a difference from other military counterparts: no guard, no any protection for hand. But this is not that important, much more important thing is it's lighter, easier to make strikes.
(tbc)

Nataliya Korovkina said...

Attention! This is unique cossack strike. Shashka is in scabbard, the cossack pulls it out and strikes an opponent within less than a second. A single quick strike.
*
Caucasian Shashka 1904. Was very popular among Ter cossacks. Steel had special heat treatment. Take a lok at the marking. The Russian saw it as wolf and gave the Shashka the name "Wofly".
*
Cossacks distinguish correctly made strike from wrong one by the sound. Whistle of swinging blade shows correct strike. Wrong strike has blunt sound.
(tbc)

Nataliya Korovkina said...

1936. Experiences partisan teaches new students Shaska handling. "Dummy" horse instead of real one. The students are mature males, but before the Revolution 1917, 12-years old children were able to handle it! Because the cossacks always kept Shashka with them.

Encyclopedia of Cossacks

(end)

Comment from translator: The text was translated "as is". There's an historical discussion down the comments, so don't take it as undisputed truth.
~N~

STAG said...

I think my ancestors were Terek cossacks. Their uniform included the big white hats instead of the nicer shaped and smaller Don cossack hats. Their coats were shorter as well, but they had the same cartridge pockets on the chest. (I am going by old photographs.)
ALL cossacks, no matter their nationality, were fascinating fighters with some very complex history. The museum of Ukrainian studies in Winnipeg proved to me that there was far too much myth being invented in place of fact. I think some people thought it was important to develop the myth. Almost anything before 1700 was erased. I found coats of arms and family names which must have been very important, but no books of heraldry which could explain them. It is as if the entire peoples did not exist before 1700. So I am not at all surprised that the comments in the youtube video were sometimes confusing. So is the history!


I am grateful for your translation. I did not know that the whistle of the sword was so important.

In November, we shall be cutting pumpkins the same way. But...maybe not with my antique Terek Shaska....