D’Stix are known by several names, devilsticks, dancing sticks or juggling sticks. The name “devilsticks” originates from the greek word “devil”, “dallo” or “diaballo”, roughly translated to English means to toss or throw through the air. The name also has another meaning, which is to produce magic. The name has nothing to do with the religious term “devil”.
         

         The oldest D’Stix ever found was discovered inside an Egyptian tomb sealed 4000 years ago during the Middle Kingdom. It’s inhabitant has been named “The Unknown Prince”, inside there were many different juggling artifacts such as juggling bags (similar to hackie sacks), boxes (used for balancing acts), as well as many other juggling objects in and around the tomb as well as paintings of women juggling all kinds of objects, including sticks. To date it is the earliest known collection of juggling equipment. In the local area, there is some evidence that the sticks had a symbolic meaning; one end of the main stick was considered the moon and the other the sun, the juggler was considered to be the Earth or the center of the universe.

         The D’Stix found in Egypt consist of 3 long and fairly straight sticks of (now petrified) wood, The main stick is a little over ½ an inch in diameter and about 30 inches long, with 2 black river tumbled, spherical volcanic rocks tied to the ends with grass or vines. They appear to be driftwood or had been soaked in water in order to be shaped and carved around the rocks at each end. The sticks were also dusted in a fine white limestone sand that surrounded the area. They may have been originally used as a weapon of some kind or a food grinding tool, but someone must have begun to juggle the stick because there is a pattern of wear on all three sticks consistent with them being juggled.

         Although no D’Stix have been found in these places, there is other evidence that they were used in Africa around 6000 years ago and also by the Aztecs possibly up to 14000 years ago. Children in Africa used a 40 inch version of D’Stix similar to the ones found in Egypt to pick fruits, nuts and leaves from the high branches of trees. The main stick was tossed high up into the tree using the handle sticks and would strip the branches as it tumbled down to the ground again, the handle sticks were then used to slow the fruit as it fell and catch the main stick to prevent it being damaged on landing.

         The Aztecs may have brought them over the land bridge that connected North America to Asia around 9000 to 13000 years ago and most likely introduced them to the Cherokee Indians on the way to their ancestral home in Mongolia. It is very likely that the Aztecs did invent them, after all, they did invent the first version of basketball.