By: Allen Hamrick
The crooked stick is also called a cane, walking stick, extra leg, wooden snake, bodyguard, head knocker, terminator, peacemaker, web getter and guide, all of which depends on how it is adorned. Walking sticks have been around for eons and are used for everything from clearing spiders from your path, fending off wild animals or just making it easier for the hips to carry you. Next to a gun or knife, a well-made walking stick or cane is next in line as a favorite to carry. These days walking sticks and canes are used to get people away from their comfort zones and out to experience the wild nature that surrounds us as well as to allow folks who couldn’t normally get up and go to get up and go. Canes were invented so that when our joints decide to wage war that we will have a weapon against it. Over the years, they have morphed into a canvas on which the owner can build an ego. Elaborate canes can have a variety of accessories from swords to skull heads, beads to jewels that add style and personalization. Many canes have more of a personality than some humans and look more like functional works of art. My personal favorite is a cane with massive beaded antlers and a curved wooden shaft. So, just because we get older and eventually need a stick to help, whether it is a walking stick or a cane, there is no use to skimp on the dramatics.
