LXXXIV. A similar example may be seen in Pl.
CVII, in connection with a large opening closed with rough masonry. In
these cases the rungs are made to occupy slight notches or depressions
in the upright poles and are then firmly lashed with rawhide, forming a
fairly rigid structure. This type of ladder is probably a survival of
the earliest form of the pueblo ladder.
In addition to the high cross piece whose function is to retain in place
the vertical poles, the kiva ladders are usually provided, both in Zu?i
and Tusayan, with a cross piece consisting of a round stick tied to the
uprights and placed at a uniform height above the kiva roof. This stick
affords a handhold for the marked dancers who are often encumbered with
ceremonial paraphernalia as they enter the kiva. In the case of the
Oraibi kiva occupying the foreground of Pl. XXXVIII, it may be seen that
this handhold cross piece is inserted into holes in the side poles, an
exception to the general practice. In Pl. LXXXVII, illustrating kivas,
the position of this feature will be seen.
The exceptional mode of access to Tusayan kiva hatchways by means of
short nights of stone steps has already been noticed. In several
instances the top steps of these short flights cover the thickness of
the wall. The remains of a similar stairway were observed in Pueblo
Bonito, where it evidently reached directly from the ground to an
external doorway. Access by such means, however, is a departure from the
original defensive idea.
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