66 



The Ancient Haivaiiati House. 



Their houses, or at least most of them, are circular: something like a beehive, and full as 

 close and warm. The entrance is by a small door, or long square hole, just big enough to admit a 

 man bent double. The side walls are about four feet and a half high ; but the roof is lofty, and 

 peaked to a point at the top ; above which is a post, or stick of wood, which is generally ornamented 

 either with carving or shells or both. The framing is of small spars, reeds, etc., and both sides and 

 roof are thick and close covered with thatch, made of coarse long grass. In the inside of the house 

 are set up posts, to which cross spars are fastened, 

 and platforms made, for the conveniency of laying 

 anything on. Some houses have two floors, one 

 above the other. The floor is laid with dry grass, 

 and, here and there, mats are spread, for the prin- 

 cipal people to sleep or sit on. In most of them 

 we found two fire-places, and commonly a fire 

 burning ; and, as there was no vent for the smoke 

 but by the door, the whole house was both smoky 

 and hot, insomuch that we, who were not used to 

 such an atmosphere, could hardly endure it a 

 moment. * * In some respects their habita- 

 tions are neat ; for, besides the ornaments at top, 

 I saw some with carved door-posts. 



The two storej-s recall the houses of 

 the Gilbert Islanders, and it is unfortunate 

 that Cook did not tell us more abottt the 

 means of getting up stairs. Probabl}' the 

 close atmosphere made observations of the 

 interior very diffictilt. The ornamented 

 peak seems to have disappeared in the more 

 modern houses, as similar shell decorations 

 have gone out of fashion with the gables 

 of the tijians. ^^^ ^^ ^^^^ Caledonian house. 



Solomon Islands. — From Dr. Guppy, who had opportunities to make observa- 

 tions on manj' islands of the Solomon group, we take the following rather fragmentary 

 account of the houses he found :^* 



The villages in the eastern islands of the group vary much in size. They usually contain 

 between 25 and 40 houses, and between one and two hundred inhabitants. * * In the larger vil- 

 lages the houses are generally built in double rows with a common thoroughfare between ; and the 

 tambu house usually occupies a central positions. * * The usual dimensions of the dwelling-house 

 are as follows : length 25 to 30 feet, breadth 15 to 20 feet, height 8 to 10 feet. The gable roof, which 

 is made of a framework of bamboos thatched with the leaves of pandanus trees, or of cocoa-nut or 

 areca palms, is supported on a central row of posts. The sides are low and made of the same ma- 

 terials as the roof. The only entrance is by an oblong aperture in the front of the building, which 



"The Solomon Islands and Their Natives, b}' H. B. Guppy. London, 1887. p. 57. 



L250J 



