Traditional Houses in Samoa

The speaker chooses Samoa because the houses clearly show the influence of Choose... money and modern machines culture and local weather history and family stories .

Modern houses in Samoa are often rectangular, but traditional houses were Choose... square or sometimes high narrow or sometimes closed round or sometimes oval .

Because there are no walls, the house helps people in hot weather by Choose... letting air move freely around it making each room more private keeping warm air inside at night .

If people need shelter or privacy, they can lower Choose... doors made from river stones walls made from forest timber blinds made from coconut leaves .

The river stones on the floor help the house by Choose... holding the roof during strong winds cooling the building on hot days raising the house above the ground .

The roof was dome-shaped and traditionally covered with Choose... leaves from the sugar cane timber from the local forests stones from the river floor .

The sides of the roof are steep so that rain Choose... stays there and cools the house falls down without causing leaks moves slowly through the leaves .

The high top of the roof helps because heat can Choose... go down into the river stones stay under the leaves all day rise and pass through the thatching .

The posts inside the house support the roof, but in meetings they also show Choose... people's status in society the age of the building the number of rainy days .

The beams and posts were fixed together not with nails, but with Choose... leaves from the sugar cane roof stones from beneath the floor rope made from coconut fibres .