The valaška is a long, thin and light axe used in the past centuries by Slovaks in the rural parts of the country as a weapon or a tool. It has symbolic historical and cultural conotations and is used as a prop in many traditional dances like the odzemok. The valaška was popularized by the Slovak historical legendary figure Juraj Jánošík.
Valaškas are often decorative, some having a golden or silver head and many are considered a works of art.
At present times valaškas are still made and sold as souvenirs or for decoration purposes, but occassionally they may be seen in the rural parts of the country where older men may still use it as a walking stick.
The content of this page is retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slovak_national_weapon under GFDL
