The Shiraoi Village Ainu settlement that Takabeya investigated in 1940 was divided among the villagers such that each Ainu family household was allotted one section of land. Houses belonging to "village chief/equivalent" villagers had elongated floor space and both the main and auxiliary structures were larger in scale than those belonging to the "other people" villagers. Furthermore, "village chief/equivalent" villagers owned structures. "Other people" villagers did not possess such structures and what they did possess was apparently intended only for habitation. It is also possible that gabled roof houses were used both for habitation as well as for auxiliary activities. In addition, there were traits common among the houses of both groups. For example, construction was arranged such that houses had their longer axis parallel to the east-west axis of the settlement.
