This book passage is the closest I have come to an answer: "Women with jars on their heads, men carrying loads on their backs, and children bringing firewood with playful dogs at their heels had to make their way up and down these ladders. Considering how difficult this must have been, it is not surprising that some ceremonies intended to protect children from accidents were performed at the foot of ladders and that women gave feather offerings for safety and luck in ladder climbing."