![]() The carpenters used ifit, ahgao, gagu, kamachilli, and da’ok for the suleras, or floor joists. They used ahgao, gagu, kamachilli ( Pithecellobium dulce), and da’ok ( Calophyllum inophyllum) for these shorter posts. In addition to the main haligi, shorter posts called hotkon, supported the floor. Carpenters frequently used fire-hardened or kiln dried ifit (ifil, Intsia bijuga), ahgao ( Premna obtusifolia) for larger buildings and choppak ( Mammea odorata) and gagu ( Casuarina equisetifolia) for smaller structures. When bedrock could not be reached, the ground at the bottom of the hole was packed solid and a flat rock was placed in the bottom of the hole to support the post. If the ground was harder and had rocks in it, they used a metal kubu, a digging tool with a long straight blade and a heavy handle.īefore Spanish times CHamorus used a wooden dagau for this purpose. CHamoru builders used a fusiños which is a metal thrust hoe, to dig post holes in clay or sand. The CHamoru houses had a raised floor, whereas the Carolinians in Guam built their houses on the ground. Small ranch houses might have only four posts. A typical house in the middle of the 19th century was 24 to 36 feet long and about 12 feet wide. Generally, they placed the posts no more than eight to 10 feet apart. Builders harvested insect resistant posts and other wood for building structures during the time of the waning moon at low tide. Frequently, the houses were four or five haligi (posts) long and three haligi wide. PolesĬarpenters used line-of-sight to lay out a rectangular house. During Spanish and US Naval eras, hemp and cabo negro were grown but not frequently used in making rope. CHamorus twisted pokse’, the inner bark of the pågu ( Hibiscus tiliaceus) tree into rope with machines that most families owned. Cordageįilag, the twisted and braided soaked green coconut husk fibers, make the best cordage. Pole and thatch homes were remarkably strong, cool, and comfortable. In Spanish and American times, people also used wooden pins and metal nails in building homes. Pole and thatch homes were usually lashed together with cordage. In most cases the woven thatch was made from coconut ( Cocos nucifera) leaves. CHamorus built these structures with poles from local trees and bamboo. Even the ancient latte homes were pole and thatch structures, set on stone pillars. ![]() Today this type of structure has been replaced for the most part by concrete homes. Throughout Guam’s history the most common type home was a rectangular pole and thatch structure with a raised floor. ![]()
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