Stilt shepards

[locum76]

the modern equivalent...

http://www.pro-jump.co.uk/

Rob

 

[Toddy]

I have been studying some of those excellent old vidoes from Finland showing rural life from the 1930's. There are some scenes on thhe boatmaking film where a man walks on a fen type place; they seem to be gathering reeds with a small sickle on a very long pole. He is wearing what look like snow shoes presumabaly to stop him sinking in the mud....starts around 5.08 on this clip (worth watching the whole thing though....!)
http://vstr1.nebula.fi/?id=1785532-1252070219&w=640&h=476&fs=1&c=1&r=640&a=1&p=1
As for those stilts, handy to see a longer distance too but I would think but your flumoxxed if they go down a rabbit hole.

It certainly was worth watching Brilliant
Thank you for the link

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Oblio13]

I have been studying some of those excellent old vidoes from Finland showing rural life from the 1930's....

Fascinating. Got any more links?

 

[g4ghb]

I love old traditions / adaptations like this!

I just have this image of a stilt shepherd stepping on a particularly soft bit of ground and sinking sideways in slow motion kinda way - i'm sure it has happened many a time

 

[chjo]

Thurs night at 9pm C5 Robson Green in extreme fishing,goes to Koggala to join the Welligama stilt fisherman could be interesting be a 1st for Robson if it is though.

 

[mr dazzler]

I love old traditions / adaptations like this!

I just have this image of a stilt shepherd stepping on a particularly soft bit of ground and sinking sideways in slow motion kinda way - i'm sure it has happened many a time

there again maybe they had something on the end like a t piece or rounnd disc to stop the sinking effect, like on the poles used for punting?

 

[caliban]

This is a great thread.

 

[British Red]

He is wearing what look like snow shoes presumabaly to stop him sinking in the mud....starts around 5.08 on this clip (worth watching the whole thing though....!)

How fascinating! Similar idea to the splatchers I mentioned abover, but for a different terrain I suspect. Spaltchers are solid (presumably because solid works better on soft mud). Those are clearly woven - maybe the reeds underfoot provide more support and the woven nature lets water drain?

Either way, super link!

Here is a picture of a splatcher by the way

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...=024&category=135&ssPageName=mem_guide:1&rd=1



Red

 

[jojo]

A link about the stilts in the Landes region of France.

 

[Peat]

Very interesting. Mr Dazzler, have you got a link to any more of those videos.

On a similar note to the mud shoes, Up until recently it was fairly common for fishermen on Bridgwater Bay in Somerset to use a contraption called a mud horse to move around on the tidal flats. Here is an article about it.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/3337013/Last-round-up-for-the-mud-horse-fisherman.html

And a series of photos:
http://www.photoshelter.com/c/homer...-FISHERMEN-SOMERSET-ENGLAND/G00003o2KHyH73Dg/

 

[mr dazzler]

Here it is
http://www.kansatieteellisetfilmit.fi/videot2.htm
there are some very interesting films, boat building, rehandling an axe, pork butchery, slash and burn farming, fitting sickle blades to a handle with a withie and 2 wedges, several fishing ones, ice fishing, cheese making etc. All in Finnish though so its a lucky dip....

 

[Alexlebrit]

Ah the mad stiltdancers of Les Landes, I saw them a few years back at the Interceltic Festival in Lorient, and they were seriously giving it some. A good few of them had been on the beer for most of the day and still managed to dance 3 to 4 foot higher than everyone else.

Traditionally the stilts don't have a foot on the end, the Landes area is very flat and was covered in marshland, but it's not the gloopy clay like march, more the type full of water channels. Sadly the 20th century saw them fall into disuse as the Landes was progressively drained and forestry planted.

Oh and the third pole - that does have a seat on the end - thank God.

 

[Tengu]

My Friend says they still use sledges on the Wash

(she cant recall seeing Splatchers)

 

[Alexlebrit]

The sledges were featured on an episode of Coast recently.

 

[Ketchup]

Here it is
http://www.kansatieteellisetfilmit.fi/videot2.htm
there are some very interesting films, boat building, rehandling an axe, pork butchery, slash and burn farming, fitting sickle blades to a handle with a withie and 2 wedges, several fishing ones, ice fishing, cheese making etc. All in Finnish though so its a lucky dip....

Splendid Mr Dazzler. Do you know about the context of these films, this site? It looks to be made in memory of some national ethnologist/film maker? Do you know (understand) more?