Other examples of transoms may
be seen in connection with many of the illustrations of Tusayan
doorways.
[Illustration: Fig. 80. A large Tusayan doorway with small transom
openings.]
[Illustration: Fig. 81. A doorway and double transom in Walpi.]
The transom bars over exterior doorways of houses probably bear some
relation to a feature seen in some of the best preserved ruins and still
surviving to some extent in Tusayan practice. This consists of a
straight pole, usually of the same dimensions as the poles of which the
lintel is made, extending across the opening from 2 to 6 inches below
the main lintel, and fixed into the masonry in a position to serve as a
curtain pole. Originally this pole undoubtedly served as a means of
suspension for the blanket or skin rug used in closing the opening, just
as such means are now used in the huts of the Navajo, as well as
occasionally in the houses of Tusayan. The space above this cross stick
answered the same purpose as the transoms of the present time.
A most striking feature of doorways is the occasional departure from the
quadrangular form, seen in some ruined villages and also in some of the
modern houses of Tusayan. Fig. 82 illustrates a specimen of this type
found in a small cliff ruin, in Canyon de Chelly. Ancient examples of
this form of opening are distinguished by a symmetrical disposition of
the step in the jamb, while the modern doors are seldom so arranged.
A modern example from Mashongnavi is shown in Fig.
Pages:
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315