A bullock cart or ox cart (sometimes called a

bullock carriage A carriage is a private four-wheeled vehicle for people and is most commonly horse-drawn. Second-hand private carriages were common public transport, the equivalent of modern cars used as taxis. Carriage suspensions are by leather strapping an ...

when carrying people in particular) is a two-wheeled or four-wheeled vehicle pulled by

oxen An ox ( : oxen, ), also known as a bullock (in BrE British English (BrE, en-GB, or BE) is, according to Oxford Dictionaries, "English as used in Great Britain, as distinct from that used elsewhere". More narrowly, it can refer spec ...

. It is a means of transportation used since ancient times in many parts of the world. They are still used today where modern vehicles are too expensive or the infrastructure favor them. Used especially for carrying goods, the bullock cart is pulled by one or several oxen. The cart is attached to an ox team by a special chain attached to yokes, but a rope may also be used for one or two animals. The driver and any other passengers sit on the front of the cart, while load is placed in the back. Traditionally, the cargo was usually agrarian goods and lumber.

History

The first indications for the use of a wagon (cart tracks, incisions, model wheels) are dated to around 4400 BC. The oldest wooden wheels usable for transport were found in southern Russia and dated to 3325 ± 125 BC. Evidence of wheeled vehicles appears from the mid

4th millennium BC The 4th millennium BC spanned the years 4000 BC to 3001 BC. Some of the major changes in human culture during this time included the beginning of the Bronze Age and the invention of writing, which played a major role in starting recorded history. ...

between the North Sea and Mesopotamia. The earliest vehicles may have been ox carts.

Australia

In Australia, bullock carts were referred to as ''bullock drays'', had four wheels, and were usually used to carry large loads. Drays were pulled by bullock teams which could consist of 20 or more animals. The driver of a bullock team was known as a 'bullocky'. Bullock teams were used extensively to transport produce from rural areas to major towns and ports. Because of Australia's size, these journeys often covered large distances and could take many days and even weeks.

Costa Rica

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

, ox carts (''carretas'' in the Spanish language) were an important aspect of daily life and commerce, especially between 1850 and 1935, developing a unique construction and decoration tradition that is still being developed. Costa Rican

parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, float (parade), floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually ce ...

s and traditional celebrations are not complete without a traditional ox cart parade. In 1988, the traditional ox cart was declared as National Symbol of Work by the Costa Rican government. In 2005, the "Oxherding and Oxcart Traditions in Costa Rica" were included in UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Indonesia

In Indonesia, bullock carts are used in the rural parts of the country for transporting goods and people, but more often in Indonesia are horsecars used rather than bullock carts. A bullock cart driver is known as, in

Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...

, a ''bajingan''.

Malaysia

Bullock carts were widely used in Malaysia before the introduction of automobiles, and many are still used today. These included passenger vehicles, now used especially for tourists. Passenger carts are usually equipped with awnings for protection against sun and rain, and are often gaily decorated.

North Korea

Bullock carts, called ''dalguji'' there, is still extensively used in North Korea because of fuel shortages. It is perhaps the last country where it is used for everyday transportation, both in agriculture and in military.

Gallery

File:Carreta (8192107465).jpg, Gauchos with an ox-drawn cart in Argentina File:Festa de São João 2022 (5).jpg, Cattle-drawn cart in Portugal File:Mysore Zoo.37.jpg, Bullock cart in

Mysore Zoo Mysore Zoo (Now Mysuru Zoo) (officially the Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens) is a zoo located near the palace in Mysore, India. It is one of the oldest and most popular zoos in India, and is home to a wide range of species (168). Mysore Z ...

, India File:Girl on bullock cart, Umaria district, MP, India.jpg, A bullock cart in India File:Costa Rica - Poás 07b.jpg, Typical oxcart decoration of

File:Mexican Carreta, c. 1885.jpg, Mexican ''carreta'' in El Paso, Texas, circa 1885. Photo courtesy SMU File:JidaiMatsuri Gissya.jpg, Reproduction Japanese

aristocracy Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocracy (class), aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At t ...

's bullock cart in

Jidai Matsuri The is a traditional Japanese festival (also called matsuri) held annually on October 22 in Kyoto, Japan. It is one of Kyoto's renowned three great festivals, with the other two being the ''Aoi Matsuri'', held annually on May 15, and the '' Gio ...

File:Bullock Cart in Punjab.jpg, Bullock Cart in Punjab File:A bullock cart of 1836 displayed in the backyard.jpg, A bullock cart of 1836 in California File:Niger, Filingué (18), street scene.jpg, Ox-drawn cart in Filingué, Niger File:THE KING OF RIDERS.jpg, Bullock cart race in Jaffna, Sri Lanka File:Women riding on carriage wit two bulls (A).jpg, Ox-drawn cart in Georgia, circa 1883

References

{{Authority control Carts Cattle History of transport in India Costa Rican culture