The Hangool stick '' The ambition of a Lion''

Last night i was invited for a surprise birthday dinner for a dear friend of mine. I thought i might add an African touch to my style and introduce my Somali unique stick (The Hangool). people were curious about this stick and i was happy to explain the history behind it. So, I thought to myself it would be great if i shared these info with everyone.

First of all the stick that i have is smaller size and there are different sizes, but all have the same unique shape. I bought three sticks from a local market back in Somalia 10 years ago, i have gifted two and kept this one. It's still as strong and shiny as the day i bought it. This kind of stick is found in Somalia with the shepherds and it has some practical uses that i will explain later.

To understand the history behind this stick you should know some history about the connection between Somalia and the old Egyptian civilization. This stick with its unique shape is found in the old Egyptian paintings of Egyptian Gods, especially Horus which was said to be the sky, he was considered to also contain the sun and moon. The sun was his right eye and the moon his left. He's famous for the Eye of Horus which is an ancient Egyptian symbol of protection, but if you look closely he carries the exact same stick carried by Somalis and me in this instance. country wedding of the style

The old Egyptians believed that the land of Punt (Current day North Somalia) is the land from which their Gods originated from. There are similar words between the Somali language and the Hieroglyphics, The ancient Somalis used to worship the God of the Sky who was a symbol for justice & kindness. I'm not sure if that is a coincidence, but Horus the sky & Sun God seems to fit the bill perfectly with his shared unique stick with Somalis.

Now getting back to the current day use of this stick back in Somalia, as we know Somalia is a semi-desert country with lots of it's trees containing thorns. These Thorny trees are used to create a wall around the Somali nomad houses to protect livestock from wild animals like Hyenas and cheetahs..etc. So, the Hangool is used to hold the branches of these thorny trees to be cut by an ax. Then, they are dragged using the hangool and finally arranged around the house using the other end of the stick.

This stick is also gifted to the groom on his wedding night. Of course not to hit his wife, but to lead his family in wisdom and prosperity as the name of the stick suggest in Somali, meaning '' The ambition of a Lion''. I hope that you learned today some background about my Somali Stick ''The Hangool'' and why it's a unique stick with so much depth and history that goes back to thousands of years.

Peter Hansen