Porter (carrier)
Encyclopedia : P : PO : POR : Porter (carrier)
A porter, also called a bearer, is a person who carries objects.
Human adaptability and flexibility early led to the use of humans for transporting gear. Uneven terrain, such as in mountains, alleyways and markets, and a lack of formed roads, such as in jungle, makes the use of porters economical where one can obtain relatively cheap labour.
Porters were used as human beasts of burden commonly in the ancient world, when labour was generally cheap, especially in societies that depended on slavery, Ancient Sumerians enslaved women to carry wool and flax.
The use of bearers for litters to carry persons of rank or religious idols, especially in formal processions, seems to have extended their practical function into that of ceremonial status symbol in the often conservative protocol of court and cult, a role continued into the 20th century with the papal sedia gestatoria and possibly echoed in the modern funeral pallbearer.
Porters are still employed to carry burdens in many third-world countries, especially where animals like camels, oxen, horses and dogs, or vehicles like carts, trucks, ships, trains and aircraft, have not taken over human bearers' traditional functions or where such alternatives are not practicable. The Sherpa people of Nepal have established a reputation as mountaineering porters, still indispensable for the highest Himalayan expeditions.
Porters who work at railway stations in India are called coolies, a term for unskilled Asian labourers.
The term "porter" is also used for airport or hotel employees who carry luggage.
References
- 'Herinneringen aan Japan, 1850 - 1870: Foto's en Fotoalbums in Nederlands Bezit' ('s-Gravenhage : Staatsuitgeverij, 1987), pp. 106-107, repr.
- [New York Public Library, s.v. "Beato, Felice"], cited 21 June 2006.
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.