Draft:Landais Stilt-Walkers

• Comment: Promising draft, but the critical lack of inline citations is a huge issue. ABG (Talk/Report any mistakes here) 09:23, 8 October 2024 (UTC)

• Comment: This is a promising draft! I suggest adding more contemporary sources though—most of the article lack inline citations, which slow down review time. Ca ^{talk to me!} 15:23, 15 September 2024 (UTC)

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Oil painting of Landais stilt-walkers by Jean-Louis Gintrac, ca. 1825

Landais stilt-walkers (French: échassiers landais) were inhabitants of Landes, France notable for their use of stilts for traversing the land. Landais stilt-walkers were mostly shepherds and remain a cultural symbol of Landes.

Stilts had many benefits to the pastoral lifestyle in the moors of Landes. Stilts afforded shepherds a higher vantage point to watch over their flock. In addition they permitted the wearer to step over patches of mud and small streams that were common in the marshy terrain. Walking on stilts kept one's feet dry and helped avoid thorny plants such as gorse. They also lengthened the wearers stride allowing for a faster pace than normal walking. The practice declined at the end of the 19th century due to afforestation efforts in Landes that rendered stilts less useful and the terrain unsuitable for shepherding.

History

19th century drawing of a Landais shepherd

It is unknown when these shepherds began to use stilts. The earliest known reference dates to 1615..

At least since the medieval period the area of Landes de Gascogne was a deforested moorland with poor soils that did not favor agriculture. While the land was not suitable for farming it did provide expansive pastoral land to shepherds to raise Landes sheep (fr). This breed of sheep did not produce profitable amounts of wool, milk, or meat but were instead raised for their manure which was sold as fertilizer for farms elsewhere.

The adoption of stilts helped shepherds to walk quickly through the moorland. They could avoid walking into muddy and thorny patches and step clear over large puddles and swollen streams. The added height allowed the shepherd to keep watch over their flocks better.

The stilts were simple with the length of the stilt topped with a footrest and a leather strap around the leg. They ranged from one to two meters in length. The base of the stilts were somewhat enlarged and sometimes strengthened with bone. A long pole was used as a crook to direct the flock and also could be used to make a stable tripod to sit and rest while remaining on the stilts.

Landais stilt-walkers were accustomed to the practice from a young age and became adept in their use. They were known to be able to pluck flowers from the ground while wearing the stilts and could run at a quick trot. Stilt races were common. Depictions of stilt-walkers often show them knitting or playing traditional instruments such as the fife or the Boha. Landais stilt-walkers were common motifs in bucolic scenes painted during the 19th century.

Famed stilt-walker Sylvain Dornon departing Paris on his trip to Moscow, 1891

One legend states that in 1808 Empress Josephine was traveling through Landes to meet Napoleon I in Bayonne whereupon she was greeted by stilt-walkers who kept pace with her horse-drawn carriage.. In 1889 Sylvain Dornon (fr), a showman from Gironde became famous for climbing the Eiffel Tower on stilts during the 1889 Paris Exposition; in 1891 he walked from Paris to Moscow on stilts.

Starting in the mid 19th century, a concerted effort was made to transform the moors of Landes. The wetlands were drained. The poor soil was still not arable but pine could grow abundantly. A large afforestation project led to the creation of maritime pine plantations which could be harvested for resin. This afforestation drastically affected the Landais stilt-walkers. With the marshland gone, there was less need for stilts to traverse over the mud, streams, and thorny bushes. The new forests were not suitable for shepherding anymore and shepherding was replaced by resin tapping. By the end of the 19th century stilt-walking had mostly disappeared.

Stilt-walking still occurs today at modern festivals and parades in the region. Troupes on stilts perform acrobatics and races. There is an effort to preserve this notable part of Landais culture.

Gallery

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  Engraving ca. 1797
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  Lithograph ca. late 19th century
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  Mailman in Pays de Buch utilizing stilts ca. 1900
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  Photograph ca. 1900-1920

See Also

• Namur stilt jousting
• Banna people — Ethiopian peoples known for stilt-walking