The Jungle "Maloca"

A great clearing with a maloca in the middle.

       There is a pathway, but it is so well hidden that it can hardly be found. It starts at the river that is the only passageway through the Amazon jungle of northwest South America. The natives made the path only for their own tribesmen and not for any other man. To follow it is difficult, for it turns here and there and is stopped again and again by obstacles. But finally the path ends in a burst of sunlight at a great opening in the vast dark tangle of jungle plant-life. Looming up in this clearing is the huge tent-like maloca (native long house) of the jungle people, a house built in a place hidden from enemies.

       The maloca looks empty. The land around it seems clean and bare. There are no pets on duty to bark or hiss at strangers. There is silence. But this house is being used. A whole village of more than fifty people is living in this great maloca. The maloca is about 70 feet long, 60 feet wide, and 30 feet high. It will be used only for a few years. It is not a permanent home.

       A jungle native tribe moves frequently because the rich soil in their fields soon becomes poor after they have continually grown crops in it. Also, the secret path to his house becomes worn and the people are no longer safe from their enemies. But moving is not a problem, for their few belongings are carried easily. 

       All the men work together to build the house. The first step is to set up four great tree-trunks in the ground and to tie smaller tree-trunks across them. This will be the main support of the big thatched roof that seems to overpower the little side walls, since it slopes down to within three feet of the ground. Over the framework of the roof and walls are placed firm layers of palm leaves set in split bamboo. These layers are about one foot thick for protection against the rain. But the rain is persistent. It beats down daily and after two or three years it succeeds in penetrating the thatch.

The pathway starts at the river.

       Inside the maloca there is just one big room, and all along the walls family groups settle in their little quarters with no separating walls between them. At the back of the room is a bigger area reserved for the chief.

       In the center of the room is a bare space for meetings and dancing. Here from the beams are hung two huge drums made of hollow tree-trunks about six feet long. The natives beat out messages on them with rubber drumsticks to their friends in the forest. In each family section are hammocks, stools, nets, weapons, tools, utensils, and the fire. The fire is important for cooking, warmth, and light, and the family keeps its fire burning night and day to avoid starting a new fire with a fire drill, a difficult task in the jungle dampness.

       You probably would not enjoy living in a jungle maloca. It is dark‚ there are no windows. It is smoky and there are no chimneys.  And it is hot because there are so many people and fires in one room. Spiders, scorpions, and bats live in the thatch of the walls and roof. But the maloca serves its purpose of protecting the tribe against jungle climate and perils. Buchwald.

Read more about the jungle:

• The Jungle
• Jungle Animals
• People Who Live in The Jungle
• The Jungle Hunt
• Jungle Farming and Foods 
• Jungle Medicine Past and Future 
• The Jungle Dance 
• Jungle Crafts

Visit more online websites to learn facts:

• Building a Maloca
• La maloca del Amazonas y su estrutura
• Malocas. Donde se baila para sanar