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The houses are generally scattered up and down without any attempt at order, and are half hidden among the trees, which are not, as elsewhere, cut down to clear a village site such only being felled as interfere with the houses: these are built on the unlevelled ground, the floor being carried out to the rear on piles, the back verandah being frequently 20 or 30 feet from the ground. The house is divided into an entrance hall, where the owner's weapons hang, also skulls of animals taken in the chase, and beyond are several small apartments, terminating with a large open verandah. The principal uprights project some two or three feet through the ridge of the roof, this portion of each post being thatched to keep the rain from trickling through into the house. This thatch is ingeniously worked into figures of men, &c. The reason given for this projection of the posts is that, as the part below the ground decays, it can be cut off and the post lowered without damage to the house. |
