Walking stick stick. In addition to its value as a decorative accessory, it also continued to fulfil some of the function of the sword as a weapon. The standard cane was rattan with a rounded metal grip. The clouded cane was made of malacca (rattan stems) and showed the patina of age: Some canes had specially weighted metalwork. Other types of wood, such as hickory, are equally suitable. Various staffs of office derived from walking sticks or staffs are used by both western and eastern Christian churches. In Islam the walking stick ('Asa) is considered a Sunnah and Muslims are encouraged to
Shillelagh (club) as a 'loaded stick'. They are commonly the length of a walking stick (distance from the floor to one's wrist with elbow slightly bent). Most also have a heavy knob for a handle which can be used for striking as well as parrying and disarming an opponent. Many shillelaghs also have a strap attached, similar to commercially made walking sticks, to place around the holder's wrist. Originally known in Irish as the , or stick, the name shillelagh is an Anglophone corruption (phonological adaptation) of the Irish "sail éille" and appears to have been associated with the name of the