THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
How do you carry the things that you bring to school?
How is the food that you eat brought to you?
How is your clothing carried to you?
Do you know how the material that your house is made of was brought to the spot?
How does the farmer carry oats to his horses? How does he carry milk to the calves? How does he carry hay from the field to the barn? How does he carry hay from the mow to the manger?
What things do you carry in your hands? What do you carry in baskets? What do you carry in trays? What other things do you use in carrying?
How do you think the Cave-men would carry an animal that they had killed to the cave? Do you think they would try to bring the whole carcass home?
What things would they carry in baskets? Why did they need handles for their baskets? Think of as many ways as you can that the Cave-men might have carried things.
How the Cave-men Carried Their Burdens
The Cave-men used the baskets they made for carrying roots and berries.
“They learned to carry baskets on their heads”
It was easier to carry them in baskets than to carry them in their hands.
But it took one hand to hold the basket, and they often needed to have both hands free.
“They learned to make handles for their baskets”
So they learned to carry baskets on their heads and shoulders.
When the Cave-men jumped in time of danger, they were apt to lose their load.
“They made little pads to protect their foreheads”
So they learned to make handles for their baskets and to carry them with strong straps.
When they rested the strap upon the forehead, it was a head strap.
When the basket was heavy, the head strap pressed hard against the forehead and cut through the skin.
So they made little pads to protect their foreheads.
“They rested the strap upon the forehead”
At first these pads were bunches of grass or pieces of soft skin.
But the women soon braided carrying straps that had pads for the forehead.
Sometimes they let the strap rest on the shoulders.
Then it was a shoulder strap.
When they let it rest upon the breast, it was a breast strap.
All the Cave-men learned to use straps so, and many people still carry things in that way.