an anatomy of a pitchfork

by Zary Fekete

The pitchfork, a medieval agricultural tool, is comprised of a long handle which is connected to three, four, or five tines and is designed to gather and throw loose material such as cut grass, hay, or manure. The tool has been used extensively throughout the world and is known by a variety of localized names. In England it is called a "prong". In Ireland a colloquial "s" is added, and it is referred to as a "sprong". In Germany it is called a "heugabel" which means "hay fork". In Hungary it is called a "vasvilla"…literally "iron fork". In China it is referred to by the character “叉” which means "fork". This character is also a part of the more advanced Chinese character “权” which describes the outward forking image of tree branches.

Universally the most common pitchfork design is the one consisting of a long, straight handle with slightly curved tines. It is the curve of the tines which allows the loose material to be easily caught and lifted, while the straight handle facilitates the easiest method of depositing the carried load. If the handle were bent or if the tines were straight, then the worker would spend too much effort balancing the load which could easily lead to fatigued muscles and strained tendons.

Since most pitchfork work today is done in the Global South, where physical labor is extremely important to the community's economic wellbeing, it is imperative that the workers not be placed in situations where they would be required to slow down or break from the maximally efficient rhythms. If even the smallest degree of strain were introduced into the global human working force behind those thousands of pitchforks, then the t-shirts or the bread or the admired curtains would arrive too late, and this would certainly be noted in news broadcasts across the United States.

Ananya uses a pitchfork. In Hindi, the pitchfork is called a jaili or a pancha…जैली / पंचा. Ananya is from the rural community around Pondicherry, the most populous city of the Puducherry district in southwest India. Depending on the season, Ananya will use her pitchfork to facilitate the cultivation of rice, pulses, sugarcane, and cotton. Although she may not know everything about the fascinating history of the pitchfork, Ananya is an expert pitchfork user. She has mastered the delicate balance between the shifting rhythms and the alternating prods which are necessary skills for valued field workers. If Ananya does her work well, then she will earn the rupee equivalent of $6 per day.

Photo of Zary Fekete

BIO: Zary Fekete grew up in Hungary and currently lives in Tokyo. He has a debut novella (Words on the Page) out with DarkWinter Lit Press and a short story collection (The Written Path: A Journey Through Sobriety and Scripture) out with Creative Texts. He enjoys books, podcasts, and many many many films. Twitter and Instagram: @ZaryFekete Bluesky:zaryfekete.bsky.social