Miwok Culture From: MADERA COUNTY DIAMOND JUBILEE COMMITTEE AND MADERA COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY BY Charles W. Clough Part -1- A Remaining Bit Of An Earlier Culture Madera County has the unique distinction of having within its boundaries the last Miwok Indian Round House (hangi), which is also variously called semi-subterranean assembly, dance, or ceremonial house. There is no assurance that the county will continue to enjoy this distinction as the wooden building stands in a field of dry grass on private property which is for sale. It is located about a half-mile north of the Ahwahnee post office in the Wasuma Valley. The Round House was built in 1903 to replace one which was burned in 1893. It differs from the historic specifications for such houses in some details. The following is a description of the traditional house as told in Barret and Giffords Miwok Material Culture: The assembly house was for social and ceremonial gatherings. It was the place where gambling and dancing were conducted. It was never used as a dwelling or even as a sleeping quarters for the men, except sometimes when a ceremony was being held in the village. A large pit, forty or fifty feet in diameter, was dug to a depth of three or four feet. Over this was erected a roof in the form of a low cone, supported by heavy beams. These in turn were supported by means of four center posts and eight side posts. The edges of the cone rested on the edge of the pit. This cone was covered with thatch and earth, which made the roof air and water tight. A thatch of brush, topped with Digger or Western Yellow Pine needles, never Sugar Pine needles, was put on. This was followed by the final covering of earth. Altogether the roof was a foot and a half or two feet thick. The opening in the top of the conical roof served as the smoke hole, the fire being built directly under it. The entrance was on any side. (Some other authorities say the entrance was always on the east.) A pit was not dug for the Ahwahnee house. Five-foot upright walls served the purpose of the pit and supported the cone. Lumber and nails were used and the roof was covered with shakes.