Nikolai talks about the importance of a whip for Kalmyk men: My son-in-law gave me this whip. He said to me that it is over 100 years old. It has 8 leather straps woven together by using the so-called ‘snake pattern’. Whips have 8, 16, or 30 leather straps. The end of a whip sometimes has a piece of lead attached to it. Whips are very important for Kalmyks. One should not step over a whip, toss a whip, leave it outside at night, or lean against a whip. For a man his whip is like a weapon. He can use it to fight an enemy or protect himself from wolves. This long whip is called ‘shilvir’. It consists of three parts which generate a very powerful blow.