El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-07-12

q hotel corridor over the whole is an
attic. and holes in the roof provide
means for the escape Of smoke. Each
room is the living quarters OF IamllS,
and has its own fireplace. The front OF
the structure is adorned by an enorm-
Gus pole, called a totem pole, WAlCH
is the trunk Of a mighty cedar, cary ca
with representations of various myth
oIogical animals. This pole is an her
aldic column reciting the history ana
traditions of the clan. Through the
lower part Of it opens the front door
Of the house
Homes Of the Zuni and lIOE1i.
The character of building materials
necessarily has an important bearing
upon the permanence of architecture.
Wood decays. and the structures
erected by the clever and INDUSTRIOUS
indians of the northwest coast, mas
sive as they are do not endure Tor
any great length of time. On the
other hand, the ancestors Of the Iuni
and Moki. in the southwest, with no
wood for building purposes, but I'M
limited quantities Of stone ready at
hand, put up apartment houses or
quite a different type, which were able
to Withstand the wear and tear OF cen
turtles. These Buildings Of heWn stone
were fortress like, and attained great
size. the results of the skill and effort
of one generation being supplemented
by those of the next. Thus, in the
course Of time the communal DWELLING,
town under one roof developed into
a formidable stronghold OF such
character were many Of the 'chH
dwellings" OF New Mexico and Arizona
the remains Of some Of which today
bear a striking resemblance TO ruined
castles of the old world
This mode Of living in fortified
houses of stone, built on shelves Of
cliffs inaccessible TO an enemy, was
abandoned when the tribes which Oc-
Tf,ra
threatened by marauding foes. Thus il
is that their descendants today use
mud otherwise known as "adObe') for
building purposes instead Of stone But
through habit acquired in ancient times
they still follow substantially the same
method of construction, suggestive Of
the beehive, rooms being added to the
vast tribal apartment house as the nu-
mericaI increase Of the population de-
mauds them.
The Alaskan Homes.
The dwelling of the Alaskan Eskimo
looks like a mere elongated mound OF
earth 1t is, as a matter of fact, COW
cred with earth TO keep out the cold
in winter, but it is far from being a
rude construction Its framework IS
carefully put together with well cut
timbers, though in some instances
whale ribs. which serve eXcellently for
the purpose. are used. The living room
occupies the upper part Of one end Of
the structure. which IS somewhat
elevated. To II leads long entrance
passage, which serves incidentally as
quarters for the Indispensable dogs
When cold weather arrives, they look
for a snOWbank that is OF the requisite
hardness and consistency, and there
they establish a temporary village.
Nor is the material to be by any means
despised- Tt is quite as servicea5le for
the purpose as stone, and has the ad-
vantage Of being easily Quarried- In
effect. IT is a kind of stone. Properly
considered. II is as much a kind of
rock as granite, and would last in
definitely but for its low melting point
Out Of this hard snow the Eskimo
builder cuts a series Of blocks, which
he lays in such a way that, as the
house rises, they form q continuous