Ethnography of Micronesia. 



ut the corner in most cases, regardless of the tUrection it faces. 

 It is often GO cm. in width and 00 cm. in height ; bnt as it is 

 sometimes smaller, the dwellers are nnable to go in and out ex- 

 cept by creeping. There are no windows and moreover, the roof 

 is so low that without stooping they cannot go about the house 

 except in the middle part of it. The inside is dark and gloomy. 

 Some houses are in no particular need of an entrance, be- 

 cause they can be entered from all sides. In any case, the houses 

 have no raised floor. The ground is simply covered with pandanus 

 or coco-tree leaves and then mats are laid, on which the family 

 sleep. It is terribly dirty inside the house, since they do nc>t mind 

 keeping dogs and pigs in the same dwelling (PI. VII). 



The house consists of only one 

 room, in which sundry things are 

 done, from simple cooking to sleep- 

 ing. In most cases, however, a 

 special section in the room is set 

 apart for couples. To provide such 

 a section at one end of the room, 

 a number of stems of the hibiscus 

 stripped of the bark are driven into the ground leaving an interval 

 of 5 to 10cm. between them. The space thus enclosed is from 

 about 6 to 8 square metres. An opening is also left to serve as 

 an entrance (Fig. 23). 



Though this barrier of hibiscus stems is so simple, it is perhaps 

 necessary for the sake of decency, for the Truk islanders are said 

 to be particularly loose in morals. It serves at least, to ward off 

 intruders. The one room house provided with such a barrier may 

 be regarded as the beginning of houses with more than one room. 

 There are often three such divisions in a house, which means at 



Fig. 23. — Ground-plau of a dwelling 

 in Tndv. 



