Anything but Boring – Hay Rakes

Whether one owned a “Megari” in Davos, swung a scythe in the “Feissti,” or tended unfertilised meadowland, one tool was never missing: the hay rake. How else was one supposed to gather the “Madheu”—hay from the mountain meadows—or the “Feisstheu” from the rich pastures, especially those on the valley floor?

As inconspicuous as a hay rake may seem, it carries within it an incredible story: the history of mountain agriculture, which began in Graubünden thousands of years ago and marked the shift from hunting and gathering to a settled way of life.

The history of this particular type of rake is beautifully documented at the Tgesa rasteler Museum in Stierva. On display here are wooden specimens crafted by “Tona rasteler”—Tona the rake maker. This craftsman knew, for instance, how wide the spaces between a rake’s teeth had to be for different types of hay—and which kind of wood was most suitable. Hazelnut, aspen, or beech, among others.