s a porch or entry way, all under one roof. There is seldom an outer
door to this entry way, but each room has its own door, and oftentimes
windows opening on to it, so that one has the feeling that we have
here two houses joined by the covered porch. In such buildings this
entry way is a convenient place for hanging nets or for drying tobacco.
In one room is the hearth, the water pots, and dishes, while the
other is the family sleeping-room.
The construction of the dwelling is shown in Plates XL-XLI. A number
of heavy hard-wood posts are sunk deeply into the ground and project
upward 10 or more feet. At a height of 4 or 5 feet above the ground,
crossbeams are lashed or pegged to form the floor supports, while
at the tops are other beams on which the roof rests. Plate XL shows
the skeleton of this roof so plainly that further description is
unnecessary. This framework, generally constructed on the ground, is
raised on to the upright timbers, and is lashed in place. A closely
woven mat of bamboo strips, or of bamboo beaten flat, covers each
side of the roof, and on this the thatch is laid. Bundles of _cogon_
grass are spread clear across the roof, a strip of bamboo is laid
at the upper ends, and is lashed to the mat below. A second row of
thatch overlaps the top of the first, and thus a waterproof covering
is provided.
Another type of roofing is made by splitting long bamboo poles,
removing the sectional divisions and then lashing them to the
framework. The first set is placed with the concave sides up, and runs
from the ridge pole to a point a few inches below the framework, so
as to overhang it somewhat. A second series of halved bamboos is laid
convex side up, the edges resting in the concavity of those below,
thus making an arrangement similar to a tiled roof.
For the side walls this tiled type of construction is commonly used
(Plate LXXVIII). A coarse bamboo mat is likewise employed, while a
crude interweaving of bamboo strips is by no means uncommon. Such a
wall affords little protection against a driving rain or wind, but the
others are quite effective. Well-to-do families often have the side
walls and floors of their houses made of hard-wood boards. Since planks
are, or have been until recently, cut out with knives, head-axes,
or adzes, much time and wealth is consumed in constructing such a
dwelling. When completed, it is less well adapted to the needs of
the people than the structures just described, bu
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