Kirhvina Houses. 



6i 



Kiriwina Group. — The Kiriwina or Trobriand group lies southeast from New 

 Guinea and seems in some measure a prolongation of the great island. In curious 

 forms of dwellings it rivals New Guinea, although the population of the principal 

 island, Kiriwina, is largely Polynesian. The houses, as may be seen in Figs. 54 and 

 55, are mostly roof. In the former illustration there is a little basement, slight vertical 

 curve in the roof, and two end doors : while the whole gable end is of ornamental con- 

 stru(5lion like those on Kusaie. So narrow is the house that, judging by the human 



FIG. 54. HOUSE FRONT IN KIRIWINA. 



figure in the foreground, a man could hardly lie across the floor. The gable of the 

 hou.se on the left shows the texture of the projeAing roof, and there seems a distinct 

 basement as well as an elevated platform. The whole scene has the effect of a stage 

 setting. In the second illiLStration the horizontal curvature of the roof is well shown, 

 as well as the careful ridge-covering. The gable ends seem imperforate and are not 

 thatched, so that the house proper must be very dark and probably used only for bed- 

 room, like most Polynesian houses. The house on the left seems to have a roomy 

 but unoccupied basement, while that on the right has a distinct porch protected by a 

 light roof. All the houses are placed in a close grove of coconuts which may partly 

 account for their narrow ground plan. I cannot trace in the few photographs in my 

 collection any connection with the general Polynesian house, but explorations are 

 needed sorely in all this region to clear up the connection of the Polynesian inhabi- 



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