SWANTON] INDIANS OF THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES 413 



head; the rest left open for the air. These have reed hurdles, like tables, to 

 lie and sit on, in summer, and serve for pleasant banqueting houses in the hot 

 season of the year. (Lawson, 1860, p. 299.) 



And of the Eno, Lederer remarks : 



In summer, the heat of the weather makes them chuse to lie abroad in the 

 night under thin arbors of wild palm. (Alvord, 1912, p. 157.) 



Throughout the warmer parts of the Gulf region, it was customary 

 to erect on short notice open-air arbors in which to hold councils when 

 it was desirable to have these take place away from the settlements. 

 The eastern Siouan territory and that of the southernmost Algon- 

 quians along the coast constitute a transition area between the char- 

 acteristically Gulf house patterns and the typical Algonquian wig- 

 wams. The resemblances between the town house of the Waxhaw and 

 corresponding structures among the nations to the west has been noted 

 and also the use of wattle walls by some of the tribes. However, Law- 

 son's description of the common Siouan house suggests a pattern 

 closely like the wigwam. One distinction between southern and north- 

 ern houses consists in the fact that in the former the roof and walls 

 are usually treated as distinct elements, while in the true wigwam 

 they are not. In this transitional region, however, we shall find the 

 two types overlapping, and this is strikingly exemplified in Fontaine's 

 remarks on the village at Fort Christanna. It is rather surprising 

 to find the distinction between roof and walls maintained in a house 

 as far north as Maryland : 



They Cutt downe halfe a dozen forked Poles and sett 'em up on end, then 

 they cutt Downe some small Poles for Rafters and so Covering it with Barke. 

 (Bushnell, 1913, pp. 535-536.) 



On the other hand we have something reminiscent of the circular 

 town house of the Gulf in the temple of Pomeioc, a town of the coastal 

 Algonquians which was near the mouth of Gibbs Creek in what is now 

 Hyde County, N. C. 



On the one side [of the town] is their tempel separated from the other howses 

 . . . yt is builded rownde, and eouered with skynne matts, and as yt wear com- 

 passed abowt with cortynes without windowes, and hath noe lighte but by the 

 doore. (Hariot, 1893, pi. 19.) 



The distinction indicated between this building and the house of 

 the chief is also reminiscent of the Gulf, but the houses of the com- 

 mon people as described by Hariot are of Algonquian pattern : 



Their houses are made of small poles made fast at the tops in rounde forme 

 after the maner as is vsed in many arbories in our gardens of England, in most 

 townes eouered with barkes, and in some with artificiall mattes made of long 

 rushes; from the tops of the houses down to the ground. The length of them 

 is commonly double to the breadth, in some places they are but 12 and 16 yardes 

 long, and in other some wee haue scene of foure and twentie. (Hariot, 1893, 

 p. 36.) 



