Ethnography of Micronesia. 63 



III. KUSAIE. 



In Kusaie some liouses are built directly on the ground, others 

 on pieces of stone piled up. In either case the dwellings have 

 the floor raised sometimes over GO cm. above ground. The roof 

 is tliatched with coco-tree leaves, as in other islands. The walls 

 consist either of ordinary boards or of thin pieces some 30 cm. 

 lont; and cm. broad and held fast with cords. Some houses 

 are provided with shutters made of the same material, and e\-en 

 with verandas. In comparison with the dwellings already de- 

 scribed, these houses, most of which are of box dike shape, 

 present a great improvement, showing evident traces of European 

 influence. Almost every house has its kitchen, which is a separate 

 shed built close by. Probably tliis kitchen- shed still preserves its 

 native style without undergoing modification, due to outside in- 

 fluence. As compared wäth the dwellings, the sheds are, of course, 

 înore roughly built and have no flooring. But as regards size they 

 are in some instances much larger than the dwellings (PL XV, 

 flg. 2 ; PI. XVI, fig. 1). 



In Lele we 'were told that there were seventeen native 

 houses with a population of 220. This averages thirteen persons 

 per house. But it is liighly doubtful wdiether each house can 

 accommodate this number, considering the size of the dweUing, 

 which is generally small. Neither did we observe so many living 

 together in one house. The houses, however, form a viUage, since 

 they are found in a connected ■ series. The custom of building 

 houses on a sort of stone platform as observed in Kusaie is also 

 met with in Ponapé in dwellings of the purely native style. 

 Among the West Caroline Islands Yap has also the same custom. 



