Meaning
A load carried balanced on top of the head — the traditional way market women and country people carry baskets, water, produce, and firewood, often steadied on a cloth pad ('cotta'). Carrying a head-load leaves the hands free and is a skill of grace and strength; 'a head-load a wood' is as much as one can bear that way.
Examples
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She carry a head-load a yam to market.
She carried a head-load of yams to market.
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Balance di head-load pon a cotta.
Balance the head-load on a cloth pad.
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Him bring a head-load a wood fi di fire.
He brought a head-load of firewood for the fire.
Origin
From 'head' + 'load'; a load carried on the head, an African-rooted practice. See [[hamper]], [[donkey-load]].
How it’s used
A load carried balanced on the head (on a 'cotta' pad). See [[hamper]], [[donkey-load]].