Traditional Culture Encyclopedia - Photography and portraiture - Why do African farmers carry things on their heads instead of their shoulders?

Why do African farmers carry things on their heads instead of their shoulders?

The main reasons why African farmers use their heads to carry things instead of their shoulders are as follows:

First: In African customs, shoulders are very sacred and cannot be used to carry things. .

In fact, the customs of each country are different. In African cultural customs, shoulders are very sacred. Most people cannot pat each other's shoulders casually, because a person's shoulder is the person's shoulder. It is a symbol of wealth. If you touch it casually, it is likely to knock away the other person's luck and wealth. This will make the locals feel very impolite and very repulsive. In their culture, it is very normal and very convenient to carry things on their heads.

And Africans usually put their hair on their heads and wrap it with a cloth. This is equivalent to providing Africans with a natural pallet, which can also separate goods from the top of their heads. The skin of the head may be damaged due to friction when transporting goods. With skin isolation, it will be more comfortable and safer.

Second: Carrying things on your head will be more stable.

In fact, carrying things on your shoulders is not particularly labor-saving. On the contrary, it will increase the burden on your shoulders. Over time, it is easy to cause shoulder strain. But if you use your head to place goods, it is actually very labor-saving. Moreover, when the person's body remains upright, the person's center of gravity will also be lowered and the gravity will be dispersed. Therefore, although the goods are placed on the head, the gravity has actually been Distributed to various parts of the body.

If you carry something on your shoulders, all the weight will be concentrated on the shoulder. But if you carry it on your head, all parts of the body can share part of the weight, so one part will not be The load-bearing capacity is too heavy, which is actually very labor-saving. And if there is a collision when transporting goods, the head is actually very stable and will not fall to one side because it loses its center of gravity.

Third: Carrying things on your head can protect you from the sun.

The ultraviolet rays in Africa are very strong and the sun is very hot. Carrying something on your head will create a natural shield, which can play a role in sun protection.