I have seen made
and used Tumplies all over the world. While working as a Wilderness guide in
Maine we used them on a daily basis while portaging canoes and gear.My good friend the Aeta and Batak in the Philippines use them and make them from rice sacks. I have seen them in daily use by the Hill tribe people in northern Thailand, Laos and Burma.
Not Long ago, While
shopping at the central market, in Antigua Guatemala. I noticed Cargadores at
work hauling various goods around for folks using a Tumpline or “mecapal” as it
is locally called.
These tumplines
are made from everything like leather or rawhide to woven natural agave fibers,
or nylon. I watched a cargadore today make a quickie Mecapal from a grain sack
to haul pineapples for a lady who paid him a few centavos for his effort.
Most of the
cargadores gear appears to be a tumpline, poncho, and a leather belt similar to
that which weight lifters use.
I am very
impressed by the amount of weight these guys carry at a jog, most of the
cargadores appear to be older than me to boot!
I bought 2
“mecapals” and will try them out down the trail.
A tumpline
(/tump-lyne/) is a strap attached at both ends to a sack, backpack, or other
luggage and used to carry the object by placing the strap over the top of the
head. This utilizes the spine rather than the shoulders as standard backpack
straps do. Tumplines are not intended to be worn over the forehead, but rather
the top of the head just back from the hairline, pulling straight down in
alignment with the spine. The bearer then leans forward, allowing the back to
help support the load.
Tumplines are often
used to transport heavy loads across uneven terrain such as footpaths and
portages. The voyageurs of the North American fur trade used tumplines
exclusively to carry their cargo of pelts and rations across portages.
Backpacks for the
military and recreational campers were redesigned to carry larger loads during
the middle and late twentieth century, and tumplines have become less common in
the developed world.
The Indians in
Mexico (and other Latin American countries) traditionally have used the tumpline
for carrying heavy loads, such as firewood, baskets (including baskets loaded
with construction materials and dirt for building), bird cages, and furniture.
In the 1920s there was a man in Mexico City who delivered pianos on his back
using a tumpline. In Mexico a common name for tumpline is "mecapal".
Modern highland Mayans of southern Mexico use tumplines for various pedestrian
transport. During World War Two, the Canadian Army developed special supply
packs for moving supplies over rough terrain where the soldier use the tump
line.
They are called a
Namlo in Nepal.
See you on the trail!
