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Amazon Longhouse
 
Picture of a traditional indigenous Amazon longhouse that is most commonly referred to as a "maloka" in the Amazonian rainforest.  The traditional Amazon longhouse varies from tribe to tribe.  For example the traditional Huaorani longhouse is very different from the Amazon longhouses of neighboring tribes.  Huaorani longhouses have no real walls, instead the roof extends to the ground, sort of like a curved A-frame house.  The front and rear of the longhouse are covered with large palm leaves and are used for entrance ways. There are no real doors, instead leaves are used to cover the doorway opening.  The first thing the Huaorani Indians do when they build a longhouse is to construct the frame with tree trunks.  Then, they cover the frame with wide leaves working from the bottom to the top, much the same as one would use roofing tiles in order to prevent the water from entering the longhouse during rains.  As a finishing touch, the entire roof is reinforced with an additional cover of palm leaves, thereby giving the Huaorani longhouse a distinctive appearance. 

 


 
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Photograph © Copyright 2007-2008 Jacek Palkiewicz,  all rights reserved
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