16 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 34 



of dwellings belonging to each family is sufficiently isolated to be free 

 from interference by its neighbors (see especially pis. vii, xii) . During 

 the farming season many such villages (including some of the pueblos) 

 are nearly deserted, their inhabitants having moved to the widely 

 separated and sometimes remote ranches. The tendency toward 

 isolation originated, it would seem, in conditions of Indian farm- 

 ing, due in turn to the nature of the country,"^ and manifested as 

 it is even in the villages, it constitutes a favorable hygienic agent of 

 considerable importance. 



The favorite site for an Indian dwelling or village is an elevated 

 spot, convenient though not necessarily very near to a perennial 

 water supply sufficient for domestic purposes. No actual hygienic 

 precaution is taken in the selection of the site. The older villages 

 were usually built with a view to defense, while the more modern 

 Indian settlements, as well as the ranches, are situated according to 

 convenience or necessity. The maj ority of the villages that are situated 

 on high land or on slopes are naturally salubrious, but the situation of 

 some of those on low ground, as for instance that of the Yuma (pi. vii), 

 must contribute largely to the ill health of the inhabitants. With the 

 exception of shallow pits in dry river beds, no wells are dug. 



Inside the Indian dwellings that have not been influenced by civi- 

 lized ideas the only furniture is an occasional box for the more valu- 

 able articles of the household, and one or two low stools. In a Pueblo 

 dwelling or a Navaho hogan, a broad earthen bench may extend along 

 the wall. The ordinary clothing, blankets, and the few utensils or 

 other articles which the family possesses, hang or lie about wherever 

 convenient. In the center or in a corner of the living room is an open 

 or partially open fireplace. The rest of the floor may be bare, but 

 more commonly it is partially covered with a mat, blankets, or a sheep- 

 skin, serving both as seat and bed. Within the dwelling there is no 

 provision for privacy. 



What may be considered an adjunct to the dwelling among some of 

 the tribes north of the Mexican line is a small hut employed occasion- 

 ally for a sweat bath. Good examples of such huts may be seen 

 among the Navaho. Usually, however, they are built when needed. 



Except among the degraded, the old, or where the woman is indo- 

 lent, the dwelling and its near surroundings are generally kept in 

 fairly good order and reasonably clean. During the day there is a free- 

 dom from bad odors in and about the dwelling. Some of the brush 

 houses are pleasantly fragrant. The Hopi and the Zuhi have the 

 habit of storing urine, to be used as a mordant, in jars near their 

 habitations, and the decomposing contents of these receptacles, par- 

 ticularly when overflowing during a rain, produce offensive odors. 



"In the more mountainous and arid parts of the region lauds available for farming are very sel- 

 dom found in large continuous areas. 



