﻿876 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  No 
  provision 
  is 
  made 
  to 
  permit 
  the 
  smoke 
  to 
  escape, 
  and 
  as 
  a 
  result 
  

   the 
  inside 
  framework 
  and 
  the 
  storage 
  platform, 
  made 
  of 
  canes 
  laid 
  

   across 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  interior 
  at 
  the 
  tops 
  of 
  the 
  wall 
  poles, 
  are 
  colored 
  a 
  

   deep 
  ebony. 
  Some 
  smoke 
  escapes 
  through 
  the 
  doorway, 
  and 
  the 
  

   rest 
  slowly 
  seeps 
  through 
  the 
  grass 
  thatch 
  on 
  the 
  roof. 
  

  

  The 
  thatch 
  at 
  the 
  peak 
  of 
  the 
  conical 
  roof 
  is 
  weighted 
  with 
  bottom- 
  

   less 
  inverted 
  earthenware 
  pots. 
  A 
  single 
  upright 
  stick 
  holding 
  these 
  

   pots 
  in 
  place 
  denotes 
  the 
  house 
  of 
  a 
  woman; 
  two 
  upright 
  sticks 
  with 
  a 
  

   crosspiece 
  lashed 
  between 
  them 
  signifies 
  the 
  dwelling 
  of 
  a 
  man. 
  

  

  House 
  construction 
  calls 
  for 
  the 
  participation 
  on 
  a 
  reciprocal 
  basis 
  

   of 
  the 
  men 
  and 
  women 
  from 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  families, 
  the 
  men 
  putting 
  

   up 
  the 
  structure 
  and 
  the 
  women 
  preparing 
  the 
  thatch 
  and 
  making 
  the 
  

   wall. 
  

  

  The 
  temple, 
  or 
  cansamaria 
  (from 
  "casa 
  de 
  Maria," 
  house 
  of 
  Mary), 
  

   is 
  built 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  basic 
  plan 
  as 
  the 
  dwelling 
  house, 
  but 
  its 
  much 
  

   greater 
  circumference 
  and 
  height 
  necessitate 
  additional 
  support 
  for 
  

   the 
  greater 
  weight 
  of 
  the 
  roof. 
  This 
  is 
  done 
  by 
  resting 
  the 
  roof 
  on 
  

   heavy 
  poles 
  that 
  run 
  at 
  an 
  angle 
  from 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  vertical 
  wall 
  

   timbers 
  to 
  rings 
  fastened 
  to 
  the 
  inside 
  of 
  the 
  frame 
  of 
  the 
  conical 
  

   roof. 
  Two 
  of 
  these 
  heavy 
  supporting 
  poles 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  

   doors 
  form 
  vestibules 
  at 
  the 
  entrances. 
  Horizontal 
  braces 
  lashed 
  in 
  

   both 
  directions 
  across 
  these 
  supports 
  tend 
  to 
  alter 
  the 
  circular 
  ap- 
  

   pearance 
  of 
  the 
  iDterior 
  of 
  the 
  building. 
  

  

  Villages 
  grow 
  without 
  any 
  fixed 
  plan, 
  and 
  as 
  a 
  consequence 
  streets 
  

   are 
  entirely 
  irregular. 
  Village 
  sites 
  are 
  usually 
  on 
  high 
  ground 
  well 
  

   above 
  the 
  rivers 
  but 
  located 
  near 
  a 
  small 
  stream 
  from 
  which 
  house- 
  

   hold 
  water 
  is 
  secured. 
  Each 
  village 
  has 
  near 
  its 
  center 
  a 
  large 
  rec- 
  

   tangular-shaped 
  structure 
  with 
  heavy 
  mud 
  walls 
  which 
  serves 
  as 
  the 
  

   Catholic 
  Church. 
  The 
  doors 
  of 
  these 
  churches 
  in 
  the 
  Cdgaba 
  villages 
  

   where 
  no 
  priests 
  are 
  in 
  attendance 
  are 
  secured 
  by 
  an 
  iron 
  chain 
  and 
  a 
  

   large 
  old-fashioned 
  padlock. 
  The 
  key 
  to 
  the 
  lock 
  usually 
  is 
  kept 
  in 
  

   the 
  cansamaria. 
  

  

  Near 
  the 
  church 
  is 
  found 
  one 
  or 
  more 
  other 
  rectangular 
  buildings 
  

   which 
  are 
  erected 
  to 
  accommodate 
  the 
  non-Indian 
  visitors. 
  These 
  

   buildings 
  are 
  constructed 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  plan 
  as 
  the 
  rectangular 
  dwell- 
  

   ings 
  sometimes 
  constructed 
  by 
  the 
  Cdgaba 
  and 
  lea. 
  11 
  Indian 
  travelers 
  

   stay 
  in 
  the 
  cansamaria, 
  after 
  finding 
  accommodations 
  for 
  their 
  wives, 
  

   daughters, 
  and 
  babies 
  in 
  an 
  unoccupied 
  woman's 
  house. 
  

  

  The 
  Chimila 
  house 
  is 
  basically 
  different 
  from 
  the 
  dwellings 
  of 
  the 
  

   mountain 
  tribes. 
  Described 
  by 
  Bolinder 
  (1924, 
  pp. 
  205-11) 
  as 
  oval 
  

   in 
  ground 
  plan, 
  it 
  resembles 
  the 
  so-called 
  "Palenques" 
  of 
  Central 
  

   America. 
  

  

  » 
  Bolinder, 
  1925, 
  p. 
  17 
  f., 
  pis. 
  8, 
  9, 
  10, 
  gives 
  the 
  details 
  of 
  the 
  construction 
  of 
  these 
  rectangular 
  houses 
  as 
  

   well 
  as 
  an 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  earlier 
  type 
  of 
  lea 
  circular 
  dwelling. 
  Also 
  Brettes, 
  1903, 
  fig. 
  29. 
  

  

  