tandem tumpline
The tumpline is a method of carrying loads using a strap across the top of the head to support weight using the spine. It allows the bearer to transport weight a longer distance and with less effort than carrying the load on the shoulders. Two or more tumplines in series allow transport of cargo too heavy or too long for an individual to handle.
Both women and boys use tandem tumplines; women to carry firewood and boys to move good between villages. Women's tumplines, because they are used over shorter distances, do not require as much support crew as boys' tumplines. Some villages are several days of walking apart, requiring individuals to trade in and out of the tandem line to prevent exhausting any individual boy.
Construction
A woven or braided band a fingerlength wide connects to several lengths of pipe tree lashed together and resting against the small of the back. The pipe tree is wrapped with hide as padding. For an individual load the pipe tree may support a frame that then rests along the back. In tandem load-bearing, the cargo is lashed to however many tumplines are necessary.Armor and defense
Four to six armed boys, depending on the length of the line, guard the line from attack by predators.
Communication Tools & Systems
Members in a tumpline often chant to maintain a steady and coordinated step. The lead tumpline sets the tempo and gives commands to rest, change pace, or commence a turn.
Sensors
Two untethered pack members scout ahead of and behind the tumpline, keeping alert for hazards such as obstacles on the trail.
Additional & auxiliary systems
A detached team member on each side of the tumpline inspects the load during travel and fixes any slipping cargo or loose knots.
Complement / Crew
Teams can have anywhere from two to five members in the tumpline. For travel between villages, each line will have a minimum support crew of eight.
Cargo & Passenger Capacity
The longest a single piece of cargo can be is 6 meters (20 feet). A five-person tumpline can be longer, but the load has to be able to bend to traverse curves in the river trail.
View from the future
The tumpline is still used, but only for individual loads. With the development of boatcraft, cargo carrying was moved to the river without a backwards glance.Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
A simple yet rad idea! Actually kinda crazy I haven't seen a tandem tumpline before???
I haven't either! And, to be honest, I don't know if it would work. The idea came to me after seeing a video of a couple of scientists demonstrating tumplines as a way Native Americans may have transported heavy logs, but they were walking side by side. It seemed reasonable to turn it 90 degrees and make it longer.
Actually thinking a lil more on it— it might require counterweights on the opposite sides for each person. Cause otherwise you're bending everyone's spines to the side where the load is— and tumplines work largely due to weighing on a horizontally straight spine. Or they'd all just have to have real strong backs and keep their spines straight manually haha.
I was picturing loads distributed to either side, with the carriers in the middle. I wish I'd at least put in a stick-figure sketch, but I was going with an "articles first art later" mindset, and ha ha ha, of course I was writing right up to the bitter end.
That'd make sense, too!