Before chimneys were built, the smoke filled the attics of the houses, which is why they were given the name of humarau.
The humarau or attic is the space beneath the roof. In Çò de Joanchiquet, it consists of two distinct spaces, one from the original family home and the other (the largest) in the residence that was built in the 18th century. You can reach the two spaces by the main staircase of the building, which was usually closed in Aranese houses by a door on the flight of stairs to the first floor and another door on the first floor leading up to the humarau.
The attic mainly fulfilled two purposes: first, it was the place where various products needed for feeding the family were preserved; and secondly, attics served as storage for all the furniture and appliances no longer used.
During the winter, this area was also used to dry clothes and millet.
We find the humaralet in the attic. It is a small enclosed space where housing the loft for the pigeons that served as food for the family. The pigeons went outside on a small drilled slab placed on the roof of the humaralet.
