According to his explanation, a yoke is a wooden arc with notches or hooks designed for carrying buckets of water on one's shoulders.
The price for the yoke was 1,500 soms, and the item was sold in just two hours.
“These tools were actively used in Kyrgyzstan about 50 years ago. Nowadays, the younger generation often does not know what it is or what it was used for. The yoke allowed for carrying two buckets of water over significant distances without stopping, simply shifting them from one shoulder to the other. Some preferred to carry water on both shoulders simultaneously, which was especially important in rural areas where tap water was found at street fountains or wells,” noted Podgorny.
The yoke also acquired a sacred meaning, symbolizing the relationship between a man and a woman. If both buckets are full, it makes carrying easier. However, if one bucket is empty and the other is full, the difficulty of the journey increases, which can be compared to family life—the buckets on the yoke symbolize balance in relationships.
In traditional life, carrying water was mostly a woman's task. The yoke served as an assistant for women, and men who used this item were sometimes teased. Yokes were mainly made of wood, and sometimes they were decorated with painting and carving. This particular specimen was created in the 1950s-60s. Yokes were traditionally given as gifts: from fathers to daughters, from grooms to brides, and from husbands to wives. It is known that using a yoke helped avoid back injuries associated with lifting heavy weights. Moreover, the yoke contributed to the formation of a graceful female figure, making the walk smooth, shoulders rounded, and arms strong, while maintaining feminine elegance,” added historian and local historian M. Podgorny.
