HK148b Aterian Hut Site, Har Karkom, Israel, Gallery 3 -- N and NE Sector c. greater than 100.000 to 24,000 BP; n) guji hut floor plan

There appears a tendency for female figurines to predominate in the western sector of the HK148b hutfloor and zoomorphs toward the eastern sides of the circle. While this pattern might be judged accidental or insignificant, I thank Kristina Berggren for noting that among present day Oromo-speaking Guji of Ethiopia, their hut design follows a similar kind of patterning. The space inside the hut is miniature universe, heaven and earth, that reinvigorates the soul and life. The ideal hut is oriented to the east and sunrise. The western sector of the hut, the dinka, is a separate area, called 'the uterus', reserved for the wife and female things, where the husband is forbidden to enter. Here may be found a female ceremonial stick, buried placenta from childbirths, pottery and utensils, grain and orzo in baskets and bags, and water containers. It is a space for washing, cosmetics and perfumes. The center of the hut is the hearth with four poles equidistant, like the pillars that hold up the sky. The right or north side of the hut is for males, the left or south side for females. At death corpses are buried accordingly (van de Loo, J. 1991. L'universo in miniatura. Nigrizia, ottobre: 68-69). Just like the ideal hut of the Guji, whose ancestors might have been Aterians, the HK148b Aterian hut has possibly 7 female figurines on its western side, with possibly 2 such figurines on the north side and none on the south side.

4/4/1996