Ata Tana 'Ai - Settlements

The Ata Tana 'Ai live in single-family-house compounds ( mobo ) constructed in gardens scattered throughout the forests of the valley and the surrounding mountain slopes. Clans and clan branches construct lepo, which are larger and more permanent houses of a distinctive architectural style. Hamlets of lepo, called kloang, are traditionally the only permanent multidwelling settlements in Tana 'Ai and are ceremonial centers. Since the 1960s the government has encouraged the construction of villages according to a standard layout, and today most Tana 'Ai families or extended families maintain houses in these villages. The density of settlement is greater in the valley of Napun Geté and less on the upper slopes and escarpments of the mountains.