thumb|Bullock cart with a yoke

thumb|[[#Withers yoke|Withers yoke]]

A yoke is a wooden beam used between a pair of oxen or other animals to enable them to pull together on a load when working in pairs, as oxen usually do; some yokes are fitted to individual animals. There are several types of yoke, used in different cultures, and for different types of oxen. A pair of oxen may be called a yoke of oxen, and yoke is also a verb, as in "to yoke a pair of oxen". Other animals that may be yoked include horses, mules, donkeys, and water buffalo.

Etymology

The word "yoke" derives from Proto-Indo-European *yugóm (yoke), from root *yewg- (join, unite). This root has descendants in most Indo-European languages including German Joch, Latin iugum, Romanian jug, Ancient Greek ζυγόν (zygon), Persian یوغ (yuğ), Sanskrit युग (yugá), Hittite 𒄿𒌑𒃷 (iúkan), Old Church Slavonic иго (igo), Lithuanian jungas, Old Irish cuing, and Armenian լուծ (luts), all meaning "yoke".

Neck or bow yoke

thumb|left|Bow yokes on a bullock team

A bow yoke is a shaped wooden crosspiece bound to the necks of a pair of oxen (or occasionally to horses). It is held on the animals' necks by an oxbow, from which it gets its name. The oxbow is usually U-shaped and also transmits force from the animals' shoulders. A swivel between the animals, beneath the centre of the yoke, attaches to the pole of a vehicle or to chains (traces) used to drag a load.

Bow yokes are traditional in Africa, Australia, Europe, and the United States.

Head yoke

thumb|Oxen in Germany wearing head yokes

A head yoke fits onto the head of the oxen. It usually fits behind the horns, and has carved-out sections into which the horns fit; it may be a single beam attached to both oxen, or each ox may have a separate short beam. The yoke is then strapped to the horns of the oxen with yoke straps. Some types fit instead onto the front of the head, again strapped to the horns, and ox pads are then used for cushioning the forehead of the ox (see picture). A tug pole is held to the bottom of the yoke using yoke irons and chains. The tug pole can either be a short pole with a chain attached for hauling, or a long pole with a hook on the end that has no chain at all. Sometimes the pole is attached to a wagon and the oxen are simply backed over this pole, the pole is then raised between them and a backing bolt is dropped into the chains on the yoke irons in order to haul the wagon.

Head yokes are used in southern Europe, much of South America and in Canada.

Withers yoke

thumb|Withers yokes in use in [[Myanmar]]

A withers yoke is a yoke that fits just in front of the withers, or the shoulder blades, of the oxen. The yoke is held in position by straps, either alone or with a pair of wooden staves on either side of the ox's withers; the pull is however from the yoke itself, not from the staves. Withers yokes particularly suit zebu cattle, which have high humps on their withers.

Withers yokes are widely used in Africa and India, where zebu cattle are common.

Comparison

Although all three yoke types are effective, each has its advantages and disadvantages. As noted above, withers yokes suit zebu cattle, and head yokes can of course only be used for animals with suitable horns. Head yokes need to be re-shaped frequently to fit the animals' horns as they grow; unlike other types, a single-beam head yoke fixes the heads of the oxen apart, helping them to stand quietly without fighting. A single-beam head yoke may offer better braking ability on downhill grades and appears to be preferred in rugged mountainous areas such as Switzerland, Spain and parts of Italy. first in Genesis regarding Esau, In the Ancient Greek play The Persians by Aeschylus (5th century BC) it also makes an appearance. The 1st century BC Roman poets Catullus and Horace also used the metaphor but in the context of romance.

In the 20th century, the yoke and arrows became a political symbol of the Falange political movement in Spain.

<gallery>

File:Ploughing a paddy field with oxen, Umaria district, MP, India.jpg|Yoke on bullock used for ploughing, India

File:Portage-prospector.jpg|Using a yoke to carry (portage) a canoe between lakes

</gallery>

See also

  • Carrying pole – Also known as a milkmaid's yoke
  • Horse collar
  • Oxbow
  • Whippletree (mechanism) – A similar pivot device used behind draught animals to even out their pull

References

  • Information on how a yoke is carved (ISCOWP)
  • Information on how a bow is crafted (ISCOWP)