Stilts
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Stiltwalker_parade_2004.jpg
Stilts are poles, posts or pillars used to allow a person or structure to stand at a certain distance above the ground. Walking stilts are poles equipped with steps for the feet to stand on, or straps to attach them to the legs, for the purpose of walking while elevated above a normal height. In flood plains, and on beaches or unstable ground, buildings are often constructed on stilts to protect them from damage by water, waves or shifting soil or sand.
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Entertainment
Walking stilts have long been used by people in many cultures as a means of amusement. Elaborate costumes, lasso twirling, and juggling are sometimes combined with stiltwalking by circus, parade or street performers.
The city of Namur, Belgium has been celebrated for its stiltwalkers and stiltfighters since the Fifteenth Century. On special occasions in Namur and many other parts of the world, two groups of "echasseurs" (jousters on stilts) try to bring down their opponents by pushing or poking them, or blocking their stilts. The two groups, the Mélans and the Avresses, dress in traditional outfits and decorate their stilts with colored stripes, the former in black and yellow and the latter in red and white.
Work and Daily Life
The inhabitants of marshy or flooded areas often use stilts for practical purposes, such as working in swamps or fording swollen rivers. The shepherds of The Landes region of southern France used to watch their flocks while standing on stilts to extend their field of vision, while townspeople often used them to traverse the soggy ground in their everyday activities.
Aluminum stilts are commonly used by fruit farmers in California to prune and harvest their peach, plum, and apricot trees. Stilts have been used for the washing of large windows, the repairing of thatched roofs, and the installation or painting of high ceilings.
See also
- A stilt is also a type of bird.
References
- S. Carl Hirsch (1972). Stilts. The Viking Press, Inc. SBN 670-67053-7
External links
- The Stiltwalkers of Namur (http://www.echasseurs.org/)
- Stilts and Stiltwalking (http://www.juggling.org/help/circus-arts/stilts/)
- Stilt Walking from Simply Circus (http://www.simplycircus.com/Handbooks/Equilibristics/index.htm#Stiltwalking)
- Stiltwalker.com, home of Stilt Walking (http://www.stiltwalker.com)