How to carry stuff on your head??

[FADEC]

For the past several days they have been showing alot of footage of Haiti, and of Africa. These shots always show alot of mainly women, carrying items, basket's, buckets, etc. on their heads. HOW to they do that?? I mean they just stroll down the road, acting like its not even there.

I have some items laying around that are going to the dump so I thought I would try it yesterday. I tried a toaster, a vcr, and a five gallon bucket, empty and with some water in it. I consider myself to have decent balance. Couldn't get ANY of them to balance on my head while I was standing still let alone walking.

This is a serious question...How do they do it??

 

[Kaboomba]

THEY'RE SOBER!!! LOL

 

[d00df00d]

Good balance, good posture, and practice.

Sometimes they also use containers with curved or slightly flexible bottoms to help them balance.

It's simpler than it seems. Once your balance muscles are good enough, the load is carried by your spine. If your balance is good and your spine is straight, you can carry quite a lot of weight up there (which is presumably why so many women in third-world countries do it).

 

[stockrex]

that is how is carried in most of the world

 

[FADEC]

Originally Posted By: Kaboomba
THEY'RE SOBER!!! LOL


LOL...It was actually before the game!!

 

[Kaboomba]

Originally Posted By: daddi
I have some items laying around that are going to the dump so I thought I would try it yesterday. I tried a...five gallon bucket, empty and with some WATER in it...

WRONG choice of liquid! Put beer in there and watch the magic balancing act! LOL

Seriously though, d00df00d is right.

 

[Johnny]

I just had to see what this thread is about, now I'm going back to sleep.

 

[addyguy]

Yeah, same here - I was like 'WHAAA...?'

Had to open it and see, and I agree with doodfood.....we have horrible posture and balance in our continent.....

 

[Gary Allan]

Oh, man ..you just gave some human interest/health type some new useless factoid to do a segment on. I can see it now.


3rd world women have such excellent posture and spinal health due to carrying items on their head. Meanwhile industrialized modern nations are plagued with back problems.

It will be 100% true and spot on, but have about as much usefulness to it as udders on a bull. I guess if you could start a fashion trend where purses and stuff were made en vogue being placed on the head it would work for a while.

 

[CivicFan]

Carrying stuff on your head is more efficient than holding it in your hand or on your shoulder. But it's not part of the culture in this country and I don't think there is any viable reason to change it.

We don't walk or carry things that much ourselves so there is no need for efficient ways of carrying stuff. As for the posture and such, we don't even notice these things because it's so rare here.

 

[Big_Ed]

I would think that carrying things on your head could have the long term effect of damaging your neck somehow.

 

[Shannow]

Great thread, and I commend the OP for trying something that he thought interesting.

Some of my most fun afternoons have been trying to duplicate some long lost (to the western world) skill.

Often there's a quoit like ring of rolled fabric to hold things like round bottomed clay vessels for water.

We tend to walk as a controlled and continuous fall, head bobbing and rolling all over the place. The ettiquette teachers of old used a book balanced on the head to teach walking gracefully.

 

[Gary Allan]

Originally Posted By: Big_Ed
I would think that carrying things on your head could have the long term effect of damaging your neck somehow.


I would think it would keep your whole spine in great shape. I did a lot of bridging when I wrestled scholastically. I wish I had kept up with it. Supporting the head, at least one as big as mine, has complications as you age (I'm a tall dwarf - maybe a giant dwarf).