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January 2010 newsletter
Hameau, Languedoc
Villa Celine is a stunning property with its own private pool, situated near Callian, just 40 minutes from Nice airport. Stilt-walking shepherds in Gascony In the Gascony region of France, shepherds used to rely on stilts to walk across the marshlands after heavy rain. This also permitted them to easily watch over their sheep. There were no roads of any kind, and the population, relying upon sheep raising for a living, was much scattered.
The stilts of Landes were called, in the language of the country, tchangues, which means "big legs," and those who used them were called tchanguès. The stilts were pieces of wood about five feet in length, with a shoulder and strap to support the foot. The upper part of the wood was flattened and rested against the leg, where it iwa held by a strong strap. The lower part, that which rests upon the earth, was enlarged and iwa sometimes strengthened with a sheep's bone. The Landese shepherd was provided with a staff which he used for numerous purposes, such as a point of support for getting on to the stilts and as a crook for directing his flocks. In the 19th century, most celebrations in the villages of Gascony were accompanied by stilt races. The prizes were often a gun, a sheep, a hen, etc. The young people vied with each other in speed and agility, and plucky young girls often took part in the contests. On market days at Bayonne and Bordeaux long files of peasants could be seen arriving on stilts having walked many miles in distance carrying heavy bags and baskets. |
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