A Jige is a traditional Korean tool used by farmers to carry large quantities of heavy materials. The continuous labour required by the working class in third world countries as well as the lack of resources supplied to perform this labour resulted in the creation of a tool to assist made from accessible resources. The jige allows for the easy transportation of large quantities of materials such as compost, grain, wood, and grass that could not otherwise be carried. The design of the tool varies depending on the region. Jige is a simple and easy to make farming tool that has a long history and has been used extensively due to the mountainous terrain of Korea.
History
A wooden statue with a wooden bone on a doll who takes a Jige in the Silla Dynasty has been used since the Three Kingdoms Period. The name of the Jige was given to Jongcheol during the Joseon Dynasty. The word 'Jige' is found in some books from the late 17th to the middle 19th century. The word 'Deung Jige' is found in a book from the late 18th century. In 1905, according to the Korea Land and Agriculture Research Report, Jige is called 'Jigi' but another research is called 'Damje'.
Part
Parts
Jige is made of the following parts:
Saegojari - The narrow top
Saejang - A tree that is cut across the base so that its two pairs are woven together. There are usually four or five cages. The top cage is called the Whit-Saejang or the Kkamak-Saejang.
Tanggae-jul - A rope wrapped between body of Jige and the body to prevent it from falling out. In between, the woodcutter hangs a sickle.
Tanggae-mok - A tree twisted to be not released around Tanggae-jul
Milppi - Strap with straw. Tie it to a Milppi-saejang and Mokbal.
Gaji - A tree supporting a load. It stretched a little upwards from its body.
Deungtae - Place on the back of the peg. Tie it with straw.
Jigekkori - A string that binds onto a Jige. It's also called 'Jikkori'.
Mokbal - The bottom of Jige. It is also called the 'Dong-bal'. I put my chin on the bottom of a pillow. The bottom of the string is tied.
Dongba - A string that is tied a Mokbal to load a luggage and press it up.
Jige-jakdaegi - A tree with loose ends. It is also used as a walking stick to climb a slope with a Jige, and is used to navigate through the grass.
Dialect of part
This paragraph explains the name of the place that is called differently in each region of the Republic of Korea.
On both legs and pole of Jige, the triangular structure, which is still considered the most stable. By using a pole of Jige, a person can also reduce the weight of the center of gravity that supports the person in a two-machine frame and decrease the magnitude of the force exerted on the legs when standing up. The tang-gae and tang-gae-mok are the role of washer used to keep the consistency with the bolts and nuts of today. The legs are also loose-filled, making it adjustable according to the height of the person wearing the legs. If more things are added to it, the baggage that is placed on it must be balanced well, and it must be rhythmic when the person walks with it. Otherwise, the rhythm and balance are broken, and the load cannot be carried. The principle of lever is applied to the Jige. In the right picture 'Principle of Jige', first is strength point and second is work point, third is support point. The shoulders and back of Jige act as a support point, so that the force is moved with small force.
Effect
The study found that carrying a Jige on the back saves three percent more energy than it does on the head. Also it saves about 44 percent more power than carrying it in both hands and saves about 26% than using a Mok-do that have been used neck tied to the end of a long pole in Vietnam and China.
Classification
Je-gaji Jige
Je-gaji Jige was named after the gaji which are made of wood that naturally stretched straight. It needs two trees that have similar angles, thickness, and location of gaji stretched out from the body. The length of the jige is usually adjusted to the height of the person who loses it. But the plain's are rather longer than the mountain's. On the mountain belt wears a short jige because the road is narrow and there is a high risk of falling down. A narrow upper part of the Jige is usually a trapezoidal shape, but some parts of the jige are carved by attaching the top of both sides. The body of the Jige is made of pine trees. Saejang is made of hard wood, such as a birch or chestnut tree. The shape of Deungtae varies, depending on the region, and in the mountains and some parts of Gangwon Province, the bottom part of saejang is cut widely without the deungtae. It is common for the form of the jige to form a trapezoidal shape with a narrow upper and wide upper part.
Jjok Jige
Jjok Jige is divided into two types of wood, a simple build made by porters and a different body and gaji. Distinctions between these are not strict. The porters cut down to get as much weight as possible. As a result, the length of the body is very long, so a person can rest without sitting down in the road. Jige jakdaegi of Porter's is two different feature with normal one. One is that the iron stick is inserted at the end of the jakdaegi. This is called 'Chok jakdaegi. This prevents them from sliding on icy roads. It is used to intimidate animals on mountain roads. Second is the V notch is placed in the middle of the top. This is to keep putting the jakdaegi on the jige when a person stands and rests. Jjok Jige in North Jeolla province is made by a cowhide tree. This tree is so strong and easy to cut out. Oak tree and Acasia are also used. This is made by cutting down trees and twisting them between the body and gaji. The angle between the body and gaji is about 40 degrees, which is narrower than 80 degrees of the body. So it is not heavy, but it can not be loaded. Kojak that put two long sticks on top of a person's body that is shaped like a pair of scissors legs is used. Structure of kojak is not regular. Another feature is that the body of the jige curves towards the back of the person. So this is easy to walk but also easy to break.
Geo Jige
Geo Jige is a very short one with two or three saejang. The gaji are almost perpendicular to each other, and there is also a horizontal tree to prevent the load from falling to the floor. This is usually used on the back of a cow.
Ba Jige
Ba Jige was used by porters who traveled inland from the coast of some parts of North, South Gyeongsang Province through the mountains. This is made of paddock trees, just like a Jjok Jige. Ba Jige is different with Jjok jige because Ba Jige doesn't have gaji. Its structure is very simple. This is set up two long sticks in the shape of A and put them horizontally in the middle to make them his first saejang. Two sticks were connected between the left and right ends to form a triangle. At the base of this triangle, the stick is placed above the apex and replaced with a second saejang. There is no deungtae. This is usually made by a lime tree that is relatively light. Jakdaegi of Ba Jige is almost same with Jjok Jige.
Mul Jige, Georeum Jige
Mul Jige is the one for carrying a bucket of water. For fertilizer is called Georeum Jige or Ddong Jige. Its back used a wide range of wood. A pole was hung on the side to carry the goods at the end. When carrying a bucket, it is designed to keep the clothes from soaking from the splash of reactionary water. A horizontal bar was attached so that a bucket could be hung on either side. This is made by light plywood on the back.
In Other Counties
China
Chinese transport tools are called the bei-jia, and is used in the northern mountains of Hubei and Shanxi, China. The difference between China's and ours lies in the presence of a gaji. It has only one short gaji in Hubei. The northern part of Shanxi is more like ours, so it doesn't have basically gaji.
Taiwan's transport tools are fixed by hanging four of saejang between two round trees. The second saejang is tied to both sides. The rope is a horizontal line intended not to be tied to the shoulder like Jige, but to be worn on the forehead. This method has long been used in Taiwan, Nepal, Northern Thailand, and southern Japan.
Thailand
Minorities in northwestern Thailand also use Jige-type of a transportation tool. It is much closer to Jige than to Taiwan. This is the tool that three saejang stacked across between two long open trees. The second and third saejang as a back was fitted with two boards. The same thing with Ba Jige is that the luggage is tied to the frame because of a lack of gaji. On one side of this, thread a hole in the upper back. The other end fastened under his back. Upper saejang is narrow in the middle and slightly wider at the ends.
North America
Among the natives of the North American continent, Indians scattered across the southern desert area of Arizona and Mexico in the southwestern part of the country also used transportation tools similar to this. It's called Kihos. This consists of a conical bowl, a cactus stick, deungtae, a forehead string, and sticks.
Japan
In Japan, there was a transportation tool called kago, which was a bamboo basket used to carry people, especially in mountainous regions. It involved a small litter that can hold one individual and is suspended in a pole. It was typically carried by a pair of men on their shoulders. The bamboo basket itself used in this transport tool has its variations, serving as backpacks or carrying vessels for other objects. The variations depend on the type of weave. For example, there is the case of the hip-basket, which features an open weave to allow water drainage or the tight weave that kept loose seeds when transporting grains. The kago featured the so-called Kagome lattice.
