Hammock History
The name "Hammock" appears to have 2 origins which are equally shared as the original source and cause for the accepted name. Name origin One; comes from the Hamack tree whose bark was the original source of material. The fibrous material along with the Mayan woven-web-design produced a soft, flexible, comfortable and extremely sturdy sleeping device. Name origin two; comes from the Taino Indian word, which translated means, 'thrown fishing net'. Fishing nets provided the pre-Columbian fisherman with a safe rest or sleep place free from the threat of predatory snakes or land animals. These Mayan beds were normally hung from interior walls or as most common between trees.
It is generally accepted that The Hammock originated in Central America (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, *Mexico and Nicaragua AND South America, countries as Brazil and Ecuador. *It is further accepted that the Mayan civilization in the Yucatan Peninsula (today's Mexico) is actually responsible for the original creation; birth-place, of the hammock. Nearly 1000 years of historic evidence supports the fact that the pre-Columbian peoples exclusive sleeping mechanism was "the hammock" and that not only did inter-tribe trading exist but there were definite 'trade-routes' which existed and were extensively widespread between the different Indian nations, of both; the Central and the South America's. The hammock proved to be one of the most popular trade items; it's popularity simply soared to all individual tribes and nations.
Some historians believe that the ka-billions of tons of precision set pyramid stones, stone palaces, aqua-ducts, brick-laid roadways, or our symbol & script writings ALL place second to the versatility and value toward human civilization and its direct influence as did the 'hammock'. The jury remains out in deliberation on that one!
When Christopher Columbus landed on the shores of Central America in 1492, it is said that as he walked amongst the native Taino people that he spotted fishermen using 'web-knotted-nets' and what appeared to be the same web-knotted nets for a sleeping apparatus supported between trees. When Columbus returned to his European soil, he did not return with the expected 'gold and spices' that he had promised, and of course which he expected; rather, he returned with hand crafted trinkets, stories and a large number of hammock 'samples'. Columbus kept some of these samples and gathered more during his next 3 expeditions to the New World for his crew to be used as their on-deck-beds. This practice of sleeping on deck in a hammock was immediately much more safe for the seamen instead of openly sleeping on the deck; especially during storms or stormy weather. Simply by their design, the hammock 'held-the-sailors-in' their bed protecting them from being tossed about or from injuries as they slept- -if they could storm sleep.
In the 1500's when the Spanish conquistadors invaded Central America "they" returned with the gold that Columbus never seemed to see because of his fascination with the native people and their cultural traditions. During this period of extreme greed and the near extinction of Indian nations; or as most historians refer to this as, "The Spanish Colonial Period", the Spanish conquistador crew-ships quickly adopted the hammock as their deck sleeping apparatus --- in fact, the Spanish Viceroy to Queen Isabella had a hammock in his hacienda.
During the mid 1500's the English Royal Navy and the Spanish Navy gradually introduced the hammock as the deck sleeping device for their fleets and by the early 1600's the English Royal Navy had completely adopted the hammock as the main deck sleeping bed for use during their long voyages crossing the Atlantic Ocean and their exploration excursions. By this time a different plant, the Sisal, (resembling the Aloe Vera plant), was much more readily in supply, its fibers could be softened when beaten with a rock and the Sisal plant (henequen fiber, from a Yucatan cactus) was much stronger - - thus making the hammock more available to increasing demand, more comfortable to lay on because of its softer texture and much stronger than the original bark material. It also happened, by necessity, that some experimental hammocks were tried using 'old-sail-material' as the support material (not knotted) but still maintaining the shape/style of the original hammock. Cloth hammocks had now appeared mainly because of lack of supply for the knotted. About this time, from the New America's, the Spanish introduced * cotton * to the Central Americans. A material so much softer, yet so much more stretch-giving (elastic) plus a great deal more strength than Sisal plant; plus, an endless supply- -the cloth hammock provided a product of wrap-a-round safety; as well, the cotton-cord constructed hammocks provided countless years of usage.
Some Spanish ships had hammocks for the sailors when they began their slave trading during the 1600's.The slaves came from Africa; in exchange for the slaves the Spanish traded one highly demanded product; hammocks, including the island native peoples. When the Caribs (named for the people of the Caribbean) saw the inhumane way the Africans were treated they would often help the Africans escape and allowed them to settle on their Caribbean island- -thus the largely-mixed-race of Garifuna tribes began; the Black-Caribs of the Arawakan language family consisted of a blending of Carib (Caribbean language), Dutch, English, French, and Spanish which collectively altered languages into the Arahuacan, Arawakanas, Arahuacano, Candoshi, Harakmbut, Maipurean, Maipuran, Maipureano, Maipurean as well as the now extinct Perquina and Taino people. In the year 1619 a Dutch ship sold the first African slave on American soil to an English Colony in Jamestown, Virginia; 1619 marked the same year the hammock touched American soil for the first time.
During the late 1700's and very early 1800's the British prison system was using the hammock exclusively for their sleeping device because of the space saving it provided. The hammocks were normally secured from a brass wall hook or ring on one wall and secured to an opposite wall in the same manner or simply to the bars if the cell was so provided. The hammock proved to be only a temporary space-saver as it did not take too long before prisoners discovered that the brass hooks could be used as weapons for escape and the use of hammocks in the penal system was abolished. During this same time of the late 1700's and the very early 1800's countries encouraged exploration and consequently extensive trade routes were discovered and established between the Central and South America's; soon Australia, Canada, Europe and the New America Colonies were wanting trade items and one of the most in demand was of course, the hammock; considered as a novelty, the Elite people demanded this import commodity.
In 1841, the English Dictionary of Sea Terminology, incorporated the word 'hammock' into its book and therefore, and for all time the name hammock shall be synonymous with the sea mariner life. The 1841 edition officially defined the word hammock as, "a piece of canvas, hung at each end, in which seamen sleep".
In 1878, McCormick from the USA developed the farm-binder with its automatic twine tying; the demand for bale-binder twine material, Sisal, absolutely sky-rocketed . In the same year of 1878 a wider version of the hammock was designed, most specifically for the North American market; consequently the demand for this wider version created huge demands for inventory and sales for the United States of America and Canada. Huge demands and insufficient raw material. COTTON !, was the answer to the call. During the 1880's to about the 1930's the USA and Canada demands alone became overwhelming. Hard fibered products of rope, yarn, twine and sack cloth took priority over the hammock from the perspective of suppliers and consumers. ' If you had to, you could sleep on the ground or the floor', but if you were a farmer and most of North America was, you spent your money on farm necessities and not a bed. Hammocks now took a back-seat to daily life requirement; for approximately 20 years.
After World War 2, especially during the mid 1950's, hammocks resurfaced as a recreational and relaxation 'in-thing'. The timing could not have been better; young couples starting new families, the introduction of home-gadget-time-savers, the mass introduction of synthetics; plastics and synthetic yarns. Synthetic threads, yarns and of course textile fabrics paved the road for synthetic yarned hammocks. Hammocks became lighter, more-color-fast, UV resistant, simple wash & rinse maintenance and yet providing much more strength and at the same time still providing more comfort in softness than before.
Today, hammocks are primarily manufactured from synthetic fabrics: acrylic, dacron, nylon, polyester and polypropylene (often called, olefin) for their strength, softness, their economic pricing and simple maintenance. Synthetic hammocks are subject to climatic pre-ware and tear but they remain the first choice for complete hammock enjoyment. Today, the majority of hammock manufacturing is still done in Central & South America with the undisputed area still being in the Yucatan- -income source, Hammock making is 2nd only to tourism.
With the ever aging population (post-ww2-baby-boomers) and the need for a comfortable relaxing or perhaps a therapeutic device, the hammock will only increase its significance to its well documented history and will continue to add pages to its history book. It is guesstimated that well over 135 million people around the world today own and enjoy their hammock in their backyards, gardens and some even have them on a hammock-stand in their home, providing outdoor décor indoors. It is further guesstimated that the hammock phenomenon will continue to grow and by 2015 the number of people enjoying their hammock will top 200 million.
NorKraine Resources Division 
