Our 42"(107cm) plastic Sjambok was originally made for the South African Police Service and used for riot control. The sjambok (sometimes called the litupa) is the traditional heavy leather whip of South Africa. Originally made from hippopotamus or rhinoceros hide, but is now commonly made out of plastic.
A strip of the animal's hide is cut and carved into a strip 3 to 5 feet (0.9 to 1.5 m) long, tapering from about 1 inch (25 mm) thick at the handle to about 3/8Ó (9 mm) at the tip. This strip is then rolled (possibly between heavy metal plates) until reaching a near circular form. The resulting whip is as flexible as whalebone, and very tough.
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