﻿VOL. 
  2] 
  

  

  THE 
  ARAUCANIANS 
  — 
  COOPER 
  

  

  707 
  

  

  Dwellings. 
  — 
  Very 
  often 
  huts 
  (ruka, 
  tabu) 
  (pi. 
  153, 
  bottom) 
  were 
  

   located 
  on 
  eminences; 
  thus 
  friendly 
  or 
  unfriendly 
  visitors 
  could 
  be 
  

   spied 
  some 
  distance 
  off, 
  and 
  an 
  eye 
  could 
  be 
  kept 
  on 
  the 
  livestock. 
  

   More 
  commonly, 
  dwellings 
  were 
  substantially 
  built 
  of 
  timber 
  or 
  cane 
  

   framework, 
  oval, 
  polygonal, 
  or 
  rectangular 
  in 
  ground 
  plan, 
  and 
  with 
  

   thatch 
  roof 
  reaching 
  nearly 
  or 
  quite 
  to 
  the 
  ground 
  level 
  (Hg. 
  72). 
  

   Dimensions 
  varied, 
  from 
  16 
  to 
  20 
  feet 
  (5 
  to 
  6 
  m.) 
  long 
  by 
  10 
  to 
  13 
  

   feet 
  (3 
  to 
  4 
  m.) 
  wide, 
  to 
  66 
  feet 
  (20 
  m.) 
  long 
  by 
  33 
  feet 
  (10 
  m.) 
  wide, 
  

   occasionally 
  even 
  larger. 
  A 
  cacique's 
  dwelling 
  observed 
  by 
  Smith 
  

   (1855, 
  p. 
  295) 
  was 
  estimated 
  by 
  him 
  as 
  circa 
  140 
  feet 
  (43 
  m.) 
  long 
  by 
  

   30 
  feet 
  (9 
  m.) 
  wide, 
  with 
  the 
  ridge 
  pole 
  about 
  15 
  feet 
  (4.5 
  m.) 
  above 
  

   ground. 
  Marino 
  de 
  Lovera's 
  figures 
  (1865, 
  p. 
  124), 
  400 
  to 
  800 
  feet 
  

   (122 
  to 
  244 
  m.) 
  square, 
  for 
  dwellings 
  in 
  Cauten, 
  appear 
  too 
  high, 
  

   even 
  though 
  he 
  explicitly 
  states 
  that 
  he 
  measured 
  them 
  several 
  times. 
  

  

  Figure 
  72. 
  — 
  Schematic 
  cross 
  section 
  of 
  the 
  interior 
  of 
  a 
  Mapuche 
  dwelling, 
  or 
  

   ruka. 
  (After 
  Claude 
  Joseph, 
  1931, 
  fig. 
  9.) 
  

  

  Around 
  Imperial, 
  Pedro 
  de 
  Valdivia 
  (1861, 
  p. 
  55; 
  in 
  Gay, 
  1846-52, 
  

   1:142) 
  in 
  1551 
  found 
  well-built 
  dwellings 
  of 
  large 
  planks, 
  many 
  of 
  

   these 
  plank 
  houses 
  being 
  very 
  big, 
  with 
  from 
  2 
  to 
  4 
  and 
  8 
  entrances. 
  

   Plank 
  houses, 
  with 
  grass 
  roofs, 
  were 
  also 
  in 
  use 
  in 
  the 
  late 
  18th 
  century 
  

   among 
  the 
  Huilliche 
  of 
  the 
  Chilotan 
  archipelago 
  (Gonzalez 
  de 
  Agiieros, 
  

   1791, 
  pp. 
  111-12). 
  Very 
  large 
  shelters, 
  with 
  from 
  4 
  to 
  6 
  entrances, 
  

   were 
  also 
  reported 
  in 
  1558 
  in 
  the 
  Coronados 
  Gulf 
  region, 
  by 
  Goicueta 
  

   (1852, 
  p. 
  93). 
  In 
  a 
  single 
  house 
  there 
  sometimes 
  lived, 
  according 
  to 
  

   Sors 
  (1921, 
  38:46), 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  80 
  or 
  90 
  persons, 
  though 
  30 
  to 
  40 
  was 
  

   the 
  more 
  common 
  number. 
  

  

  Most 
  huts, 
  however, 
  at 
  least 
  in 
  Mapuche 
  territory, 
  had 
  only 
  one 
  or 
  

   two 
  entrances. 
  Doors 
  and 
  windows 
  were 
  lacking. 
  An 
  opening 
  or 
  

   openings 
  in 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  roof 
  served 
  as 
  smoke 
  hole. 
  

  

  A 
  small 
  conical 
  thatched 
  hut 
  was 
  also 
  used. 
  In 
  addition, 
  warriors 
  

   on 
  the 
  march 
  would 
  put 
  up 
  a 
  temporary 
  shelter 
  against 
  rain 
  and 
  hot 
  

   sun 
  by 
  arching 
  four 
  sticks 
  and 
  covering 
  these 
  with 
  four 
  large 
  leaves 
  of 
  

   paryke 
  (Gunnera 
  scabra). 
  

  

  