Acw>*hy of Sciences] THE MAN 0BO HOME 39 



both sides of the floor, for a width of 50 centimeters to 1.5 meters, are raised to a height varying 

 from 10 to 50 centimeters above the main floor. This raised portion serves for a sleeping place, 

 but in the poorer classes of houses the height of this platform is so slight that I think that there 

 exists or has existed some superstitious belief connected with it, though I have been unable to 

 elicit any positive information on the point. In houses of the better class one occasionally finds 

 roughhewn boards used for the floor of these platforms, as also for the walls. 



THE ROOF AND THE THATCH 



The roof is of the gable style, but is four-sided, with two smoke vents, as may be seen in 

 Plates 4 i and 6 a. The four beams that form the main support for the rafters are lashed to the 

 posts of the house at a height varying from 1.5 meters to 2 meters above the floor. Four sub- 

 stantial rafters, resting upon the four beams just mentioned, run up at an angle of 45° from the 

 corner posts. Upon these rafters rests the ridgepole. Numerous light rafters of wood or of 

 bamboo extend from the ridgepole in parallel rows at intervals of 30 to 40 centimeters. They 

 project about 50 centimeters beyond the side beams upon which they rest and serve to support 

 the roofing material. 



The thatch consists almost invariably of fronds of rattan gathered in the adjoining forest. 

 This thatch is made by bending back on the midrib every alternate spike till all the spikes lie 

 parallel. Another way is to cut the midrib in the center at the small end and tear the frond into 

 two pieces. These half-fronds are neither so durable nor so serviceable as if the midrib is left 

 entire. Two, three, or four of these fronds, or double that number of half-fronds, are then super- 

 imposed, and fastened to the rafters with rattan in shingle fashion. 



In localities where sago palm is available an excellent thatch is made in the ordinary 

 Philippine fashion by sewing the spikes of the frond to a slat of bamboo. It is claimed that this 

 thatch will not last much more than a year, as it is a breeding place for a multitude of small 

 cockroaches that seem to thrive upon it. 



In the mountainous districts, where up to a few years ago feuds were rife, it was not uncom- 

 mon to find houses roofed with big strips of bark, or with shingles of flattened bamboo. This 

 style of roofing was employed as a precaution against the burning arrows used by the enemy 

 during an attack. 



There is always an extra layer of leaves over the ridgepole as a protection against the rain. 

 Occasionally a long strip or two of bark is placed as a hood on the ridgepole to help prevent the 

 entrance of the rain during the northwest monsoon, when it comes down in indescribable torrents. 



A glance at the illustrations will show better than words can describe the peculiar smoke 

 outlets invariably found in Manobo houses. They not only afford an exit for the smoke, and 

 admit light, but also permit, during storms, the entrance of an amount of rain that does not 

 conduce to comfort. 



THE WALLS 



The walls are nearly always in the case of better class houses, light poles of wood or of 

 bamboo, laid horizontally one above the other and tied to upright pieces placed at intervals for 

 their support. In poorer houses palm fronds are tied loosely to a few upright pieces. The eaves 

 project down almost as far as the top of the walls. The latter never extend to the roof, but are 

 usually of such a height that a person sitting on the floor can see between the walls and the eaves 

 the space surrounding the house. It is rare to find boards used for the walls, but, if used, they 

 are roughhewn, and are laid horizontally and edgewise, one above the other. They are held in 

 place with rattan strips. 



The space, then, between the top of the walls and the roof is open all around the house and 

 serves as one continuous window that affords more ventilation than light. The purpose of this 

 peculiar arrangement seems to be for defense, for no one can approach the house from any side 

 without being seen, and, in time of attack, it affords the inmates of the house an admirable 

 vantage ground from which to ply their arrows. 



