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Chapter

Chapter
Shelters and Camps
DOI link for Shelters and Camps
Shelters and Camps book
ABSTRACT
This chapter synthesizes observations of Nukak architecture and camps.These aspects of Nukak culture have not suffered substantial change through the effects of contact with Western society, and so they provide a unique opportunity to scrutinize the multiple dimensions of domestic architecture, “public” and “sacred” architecture, and the arrangement of camps among hunter-gatherers. First I examine aspects of residential-camp family shelters. Formal properties such as shape, size, and construction materials will be characterized, as well as the basic construction process. Second I discuss the rectangular dwelling called the “house of tapir,” as well as transitory structures, in order to present a complete picture of the variety of the architectural forms created by the Nukak. As such, an understanding is reached of how the Nukak dwell in their forest environment and how they have developed different settlement types. Similarly, information provided by the Nukak contributes to understanding the way in which human societies globally have modified their settings to create protected and habitable spaces.