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fly-whisk, from near Maradi, Niger, early 1960s, ]]
A fly-whisk (or fly-swish) is a tool that is used to swat flies. A similar device is used as a hand fan in hot tropical climates, sometimes as part of regalia, and is called a chowrie, chāmara, or prakirnaka in South Asia and Tibet.;
चामर, Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Koeln University, Germany
In Indonesian art, a fly-whisk is one of the items that is associated with Shiva. A fly-whisk is frequently seen as an attribute of Hinduism, Jainism, Daoist and Buddhist deities. Shiva and Parvati , Rijksmuseum, accessed 14 November 2006 The fly-whisk is evident in some configurations of the Ashtamangala, employed in some traditions of murti puja, particularly Gaudiya Vaishnavism. It is also used as an accessory in the ritual aspects of folk performance traditions, especially folk-theater forms like Pala, where it can double as a prop.
Fly-whisks are in use in parts of the contemporary Middle East, such as Egypt, by some classes of society, e.g., outdoor merchants and shop keepers, especially in summer when flies become bothersome. Those have a wooden handle and plant fibers attached to them. The more expensive ones are made from horse hair. In the eastern parts of the Indian subcontinent, it is made from the tail-hairs of the yak. Yakuts from Siberia use fly-whisk called deybiir made of horse tail both for swating mosquitoes and as a sacred tool for shamanistic rituals.
Fly-whisks appear frequently in the traditional regales of and nobility in many parts of the African continent. Fly whisks, called "ìrùkẹ̀rẹ̀" in Yoruba language, were used by Yoruba monarchs and chiefs as a symbol of power and respect. This use has sometimes carried on into modern contexts: leader Jomo Kenyatta carried a fly-whisk, a mark of authority in Maasai people society, Dress codes and prestige staffs: constructing political authority with staffs in Tanzania , Fadhili Mshana, Ijele: Art eJournal of the African World, 2002 as did leader Hastings Banda, while jazz musician Jabu Khanyile also used a Maasai fly-whisk as a trademark when on stage. Jabu Khanyile , Contemporary African Music and Arts Archive, accessed 13 November 2006 The fly-whisk is one of the traditional symbols of Taoist and Buddhist monastic hierarchy in China and Japan, along with the khakkhara, jewel scepter, and begging bowl. The fly-whisk in Buddhism represents the symbolic "sweeping" of ignorance and mental afflictions. The Daoist fly-whisk is made of the root and twine of the smilax for the handle, and the hairs are made of Arecaceae. The Chinese fly-whisk is also used in many Chinese martial arts such as Shaolin Kung Fu and Wudang quan, each corresponding to their own respective religious philosophy.
A fly-whisk forms part of the royal regalia of Thailand. It consists of the tail hairs of a white elephant. Thai Royal Regalia , Thailand Government Public Relations Department, accessed 15 November 2006 Fly-whisks were also used in culture as a ceremonial mark of authority. Fly Whisk Handle, Metropolitan Museum of Art, accessed 14 November 2006
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