Book Description

Excerpt from Explorations in Southwestern Utah in 1908 Without entering into a discussion on this subject, which has been most efficiently treated by Dr. Fewkes in a recent paper,1 in which he puts forward the ventilator theory, it may be re marked that when the roof is in place, and a fire is lit in the fireplace, the passage does act as a ventilator and aids very greatly in keeping all the air of the chamber fit to breathe. On the other hand, the highly specialized form of the passage and its. Almost invariable southern orientation have led others to believe that it may have had some ceremonial significance. It seems probable that the truth is to be found in a compromise. Ceremonial Observances might easily connect themselves with so necessary a part of the kiva, and this process once started, religious conservatism would tend to fix and specialize features which were primarily utilitarian. The slab of stone or masonry wall, which is found between the passage entrance and the firepit, has been called both an altar and a de ector. Here again it seems that the use of this Object may have been twofold: it no doubt tended to spread the fresh air which came down the ventilator, and it also corresponds closely to the altars of modern Rio Grande Pueblo kivas. There is nothing incompatible in the two functions. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works."