Yoke
tassiitaq
“backpack yoke”
Language:
Central Yup'ik
We took that [rope], pulled it here [over the shoulders] … and then stood up [gestures bending under heavy load] and walked and walked and walked.
—Neva Rivers, 2002
A chest yoke was fastened to a burden basket or other heavy load that rode on a person’s back, making it easier to carry. This red-painted yoke is carved with a woman’s face, her tattoos visible at the corners of her mouth, and decorated with caribou teeth. When a yoke was not used a grass rope was tied across the chest instead, as Neva Rivers describes.
Culture:
Yup'ik
Region:
Nunivak Island, Alaska
Object Category:
Baskets, bags, boxes
Dimensions:
Length: 51.5cm
Accession Date:
1874
Source:
William H. Dall (donor)
Museum:
National Museum of Natural History
Museum ID Number:
E016251
Previous
Previous
