Creole yoke.

Northern Patagonia. Late 19th or early 20th century.

Carved from a piece of hard lenga wood, -on this exemplar, with its well-polished friction areas, indicating its use for a long time-, the yoke (1) fulfills the function of joining two oxen to carry a cart or a plow. Its shapes indicate how it rests on the head of each animal. Measurements. Total length: 136 cm.

In rural geography, carts pulled by teams of oxen were used since ancient times, and in the foothills, also to remove logs from the wooded areas, dragging them. The wagons were driven by several yoke, and the smaller wagons, by just a couple of these animals. Throughout the 19th century and more here too, loads were moved using these means of transport. The meekness and strength of the oxen were of enormous value and around their construction and maintenance a specialization of the artisan crafts of wood and iron developed. In the oldest version, made without metal, since there are no active iron deposits in our current territory, they were made only in wood.

Its forms, we have said when studying another exemplar of Mapuche affiliation, have a common design pattern and only small variations, perhaps demanded by the geography where it is used or contributed by the craftsman who makes it. They were used by the Creoles and also by the Mapuches, especially those living in the Andean Patagonian region.

Notes:

1. The word comes from the Latin voice "iugum", which refers to a stick that is used to unite two oxen.

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