﻿490 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1929 
  

  

  Natives 
  of 
  Haiti 
  developed 
  two 
  types 
  of 
  liouse 
  architecture. 
  In 
  

   one 
  type 
  a 
  circle 
  of 
  poles 
  was 
  forced 
  into 
  the 
  earth, 
  each 
  pole 
  separated 
  

   from 
  the 
  others 
  by 
  intervals 
  of 
  a 
  meter 
  or 
  two. 
  Between 
  these 
  poles 
  

   were 
  lashed 
  split 
  grommets 
  of 
  lianas 
  covered 
  perhaps 
  with 
  palm 
  

   spathes 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  modern 
  Dominican 
  country 
  habitation. 
  Transverse 
  

   beams 
  resting 
  on 
  the 
  upright 
  poles 
  supported 
  the 
  roof 
  beams 
  which 
  

   converged 
  to 
  a 
  conical 
  peak. 
  A 
  thatch 
  of 
  grass 
  or 
  palm 
  spathe 
  rested 
  

   on 
  transverse 
  slats 
  covering 
  the 
  converging 
  rafters. 
  A 
  center 
  pole 
  

   extended 
  from 
  the 
  apex 
  of 
  the 
  roof 
  to 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  floor 
  of 
  the 
  

   hut. 
  

  

  A 
  larger 
  type 
  of 
  structure 
  was 
  the 
  rectangular 
  habitation 
  of 
  the 
  

   cacique 
  constructed 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  materials. 
  Instead 
  of 
  a 
  conical 
  roof, 
  

   a 
  ridgepole 
  extended 
  from 
  one 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  roof 
  to 
  the 
  other. 
  A 
  lean-to 
  

   extended 
  from 
  the 
  roof 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  structure 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  an 
  open 
  

   porch, 
  such 
  as 
  may 
  stUl 
  be 
  seen 
  in 
  country 
  districts. 
  No 
  record 
  

   exists 
  in 
  the 
  literature 
  of 
  wattled 
  mud 
  walls 
  such 
  as 
  are 
  built 
  in 
  the 
  

   arid 
  sections 
  of 
  northern 
  Santo 
  Domingo 
  and 
  in 
  Haiti. 
  

  

  The 
  furniture 
  of 
  a 
  native 
  hut 
  was 
  meager. 
  Domestic 
  require- 
  

   ments 
  came 
  first 
  and 
  included 
  earthenware 
  vessels, 
  calabashes, 
  cassava 
  

   working 
  implements, 
  perhaps 
  also 
  grinding 
  stones 
  for 
  triturating 
  

   maize, 
  earthenware 
  griddles 
  for 
  baking 
  bread, 
  seats 
  of 
  carved 
  wood 
  

   rarely, 
  but 
  always 
  the 
  hammocks 
  of 
  woven 
  cotton. 
  The 
  hammock 
  

   was 
  chair, 
  bed, 
  couch, 
  and 
  cradle 
  as 
  well. 
  Hammocks 
  were 
  slung 
  out 
  

   of 
  doors 
  on 
  the 
  porch. 
  In 
  colder 
  weather 
  they 
  were 
  slung 
  inside 
  the 
  

   house, 
  while 
  a 
  fire 
  was 
  kindled 
  underneath. 
  Sleeping 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  

   was 
  also 
  common, 
  for 
  which 
  an 
  improvised 
  bed 
  of 
  plantain 
  leaves 
  was 
  

   prepared. 
  Hammocks 
  were 
  of 
  two 
  kinds. 
  The 
  woven 
  hammock 
  was 
  

   essentially 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  woven 
  cotton 
  cloth, 
  while 
  the 
  netted 
  hammock 
  

   had 
  a 
  framework 
  to 
  hold 
  open 
  the 
  looped 
  netting. 
  

  

  Duhos 
  or 
  seats 
  of 
  carved 
  wood 
  were 
  graded 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  rank 
  

   of 
  the 
  user. 
  Important 
  men 
  sat 
  on 
  artistically 
  carved 
  wooden 
  

   stools. 
  Stools 
  of 
  stone 
  and 
  those 
  of 
  carved 
  wood 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  

   in 
  the 
  houses 
  of 
  caciques. 
  Simple 
  wooden 
  stools 
  were 
  of 
  the 
  gener- 
  

   alized 
  South 
  and 
  Central 
  American 
  type 
  in 
  which 
  a 
  concave 
  seat, 
  

   provided 
  with 
  four 
  short 
  legs 
  were 
  cut 
  from 
  the 
  solid. 
  A 
  step 
  beyond 
  

   this 
  and 
  still 
  a 
  common 
  form 
  was 
  the 
  concave 
  undecorated 
  seat 
  with 
  

   an 
  anthropomorphic 
  or 
  zoomorphic 
  figurine 
  carved 
  from 
  the 
  front 
  

   end 
  of 
  the 
  seat, 
  while 
  a 
  stumpy 
  tail 
  projected 
  from 
  the 
  rear 
  or 
  was 
  

   entirely 
  lacking. 
  The 
  elaborately 
  carved, 
  paneled, 
  and 
  inlaid 
  seat 
  

   with 
  an 
  arched 
  tail 
  section 
  or 
  back 
  rest 
  and 
  elaborate 
  head 
  carving 
  

   was 
  reserved 
  for 
  ceremonial 
  use 
  at 
  religious 
  festivals. 
  The 
  legged 
  

   stone 
  seats 
  with 
  concave 
  backs 
  resemble 
  a 
  form 
  of 
  mealing 
  stones, 
  

   although 
  the 
  latter 
  has 
  a 
  larger 
  surface 
  but 
  has 
  only 
  three 
  legs, 
  

   while 
  the 
  much 
  smaller 
  seats 
  of 
  stone 
  have 
  four 
  stumpy 
  legs. 
  The 
  

   mealing 
  stone 
  here 
  described 
  had, 
  hke 
  the 
  stone 
  seat, 
  figurine 
  heads 
  

  

  