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The 'hammock' is a fabric sling used for sleeping or resting. It consists of cloth or a network of twine or thin natural or synthetic rope which is stretched between two firm points such as trees or attached to a metal or wood structure. Hammocks are widely used for relaxation in backyards, cottages, and waterfront areas, and they are carried as a lightweight type of bed on camping trips. They are also used for sleeping on ships and spacecraft.

Contents

History

Current use

Ships

Space

Gallery

References

See also

History

The hammock was developed in Pre-Columbian Latin America and continues to be produced widely throughout the region, including among the Urarina of the Peruvian Amazon. Though it is unknown who invented the hammock, many maintain that it was a device created out of tradition and need. The English language derivation of hammock and various European equivalents is borrowed from the Spanish ''hamaca'' or ''hamac'' around 1700, in turn taken from a Taíno culture Arawakan word (Haiti) meaning "fish net."^[1][2]

Hammocks were first introduced in Europe by Christopher Columbus when he brought many hammocks back to Spain from islands in the present day Bahamas.
One of the reasons that hammocks grew in popularity in the New World was because of their ability to provide safety. By being suspended, sleepers were better protected from snakes and other harmful creatures. It also allowed people to avoid water, dirt, and other unsanitary conditions that existed in the early New World.
They were not part of Classic era Maya civilization; they were said to have arrived in the Yucatán from the Caribbean less than two centuries before the Spanish conquest. They are made of various materials (including palm-based in western Amazonia), and the quality depends greatly on the thread and the number of threads used. In Mexico, hammocks are made in villages surrounding the capital city of the Yucatán, Mérida, and are sold throughout the world as well as locally.
Mayan hammocks are made on a loom and are hand woven by men, women and children. Hammocks are so symbolically and culturally important for the Yucatecans that even the most humble of homes have hammock hooks in the walls; in rural El Salvador, a family home may have multiple hammocks strung across the main room, for use as seating, as beds, or as sleep-swings for infants.
The earliest hammocks were woven out of bark from a Hamack tree, and later this material was replaced by Sisal plant because it was more abundant.

Current use

There are currently a wide variety of hammocks available. There are hammocks that are designed specifically for backpacking and include mosquito netting along with pockets for nighttime storage. There are hammocks made out of thin and lightweight material which makes them ideal for taking on daytrips. Other hammocks include self-standing metal or wood structures that support the hammock. Although many people today purchase them premade, it is also possible to make your own hammock.

Ships

Hammocks have also traditionally been used by sailors on commercial sailing ships and naval vessels. A hammock moves in concert with the motion of the vessel, so the sleeper is not at a risk of being thrown onto the floor during swells or rough seas. Prior to this, sailors would often get injured and sometimes even killed as they fell off of their beds. As well, hammocks do not take up as much space in the vessel as bunks. The sides of traditional hammocks wrap around the sleeper like a cocoon and make an inadvertent fall virtually impossible. Also, many sailors became so accustomed to this way of sleeping that they brought their hammocks ashore and they became an item of leisure.

Space

During the Apollo program, the Lunar Module was equipped with hammocks for the commander and lunar module pilot to sleep in between moonwalks.

Gallery

References

1. Douglas Harper (2001). Hammock - Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved December 23, 2006.
2. A Dictionary of European Anglicisms: A Usage Dictionary of Anglicisms in Sixteen European Languages, , , , Oxford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-19-928306-0

See also

★ Hammock Camping Low impact, Leave No Trace style of camping