Yagua - Settlements



Yagua settlements, which were widely scattered over their habitat, traditionally consisted of one large, oval, beehive-shaped communal house inhabited by several related families, a patriline or one of its segments. These houses were usually built near the headwaters of small rivers on high ground that did not flood. The roof of a characteristic house extended to the ground, which served as the floor. Houses were often separated by considerable distances but were linked by a network of jungle trails. As a result of missionary influence, and later of the pressure from the dominant society to settle along the main rivers, the Yagua communal houses gave way to individual huts of neo-Amazonian style built on stilts to avoid the seasonal flooding of the rivers. Since the palm-leaf thatching of the now gabled roof does not reach the ground, mosquito nets are a must at night.


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