The exhibition of the Adygeysk Museum of Local Lore presents a shoulder yoke, which was brought from Leninohable village in the Teuchezhsky district of the Republic of Adygea. The shoulder yoke was presented to the museum by Adam Saferbievich, a resident of Gatlukai village. According to him, the shoulder yoke belonged to his grandmother.

The shoulder yoke is a convenient device for carrying buckets of water. The water remains clean, as dust, flowers, and grass seeds can not get into the buckets raised above the ground. In winter, buckets on the shoulder yoke stay above snowdrifts.

In Russia, there were three types of shoulder yokes: stick-shaped, bent and cut-out. Arch-shaped shoulder yokes were the most common. They were made by steaming and bending wood. shoulder yokes were made from birch, linden, aspen and willow — chosen for their flexibility, elasticity and affordability. The tree needed to be 5-7 centimeters thick in the middle and 190-210 centimeters long. Workpieces for shoulder yokes were made in autumn or early spring. The wood was steamed and given the desired shape. The edges were pulled up and left to dry. Metal pads with hooks were attached to the edges of the shoulder yoke (with screws or nails). The shoulder yoke was painted and decorated with carvings.

In many villages shoulder yokes were carved from wide and sturdy boards. The board was narrowed near the edges. A notch for the woman’s neck was made in the middle. Buckets of water were hung on long hooks. A tin plate was screwed or nailed to the top to prevent the shoulder yoke from cracking.

Carrying water on a shoulder yoke was a woman’s job. As an exception, it was used by boys and elderly people. At the well buckets were attached first to the back and then to the front end of the shoulder yoke. Using a shoulder yoke required a good sense of balance. To use the device efficiently, both buckets had to be filled evenly.

According to old-timers, a shoulder yoke could serve for 50 years or more. At home, the shoulder yoke was stored in the corner of a corridor vertically or hung on two pegs or thick nails on the wall.