*** Welcome to piglix ***

Carrying on the head


Carrying on the head is a common practice in many parts of the world, as an alternative to carrying a burden on the back, shoulders, head and so on. People have carried burdens balanced on top of the head since ancient times, usually to do daily work, but sometimes in religious ceremonies or as a feat of skill, such as in certain dances.

The practice of carrying a burden on top of the head has existed since ancient times. Evidence of this is in the Book of Proverbs, which makes a reference to it in verses 25:21-22, "If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you", which is using the metaphor of an ancient Egyptian ritual of repentance which involved carrying a basin of burning coals on top of the head. The verse in the Book of Proverbs is estimated to originate from the period of the third century BCE. According to an account by the ancient Egyptian writer Cha-em-wese, a thief returned a book stolen from a grave carrying such a pan of hot coals on top of his head, to show "his consciousness and attitudes of shame, remorse, repentance, and ultimately correction".

Carrying on the head is common in many parts of the developing world. African-American women continued the practice during the 19th century, which they learned from elder Africans brought from Africa to work in America as slaves. The practice was efficient, at a time when there were no vehicles available for carrying burdens. One observer during the Civil War noted seeing the impressive sense of balance and dexterity that the practice gave women in South Carolina: "I have seen a woman, with a brimming water-pail balanced on her head, or perhaps a cup, saucer, and spoon, stop suddenly, turn round, stoop to pick up a missile, rise again, fling it, light a pipe, and go through many revolutions with either hand or both, without spilling a drop". Until the turn of the 20th century, African-American women in the Southern states continued carrying baskets and bundles of folded clothes on top of their heads, when they found work as "washwomen", doing laundry for white employers. This practice ended when the automobile became common in affluent communities, when employers began delivering the clothing to the homes of the washwomen, rather than the washwomen walking to the employers' homes.

Today, women and men may be seen carrying burdens on top of their heads where there is no less expensive, or more efficient, way of transporting workloads. In India, women carry baskets of bricks to workmen on construction sites. In East Africa, Luo women may carry loads of up to 70% of their own body weight balanced on top of their heads. Women of the Kikuyu tribe carry similar heavy loads, but using a leather strap wrapped around their forehead and the load to secure it while it is carried. This results in a permanent groove in the forehead of the women. However, there is no evidence of other harmful effects on the health of women who carry heavy loads on top of their heads. Researchers speculate that training from a young age may explain this. Up to 20% of the person's body weight can be carried with no extra exertion of energy. Other researchers have shown that African and European women carrying 70% of their body weight in controlled studies used more oxygen while head-carrying, in contrast to carrying a load on their backs. The research did not support the notion that head-loading is less exerting than carrying on the back, "although there is some evidence of energy saving mechanisms for back-loading at low speed/load combinations".


...
Wikipedia

...