Dwellings

HOUSE, APARTMENT, HOGAN, TIPI, HUT, SHANTEE, SHACK, TRAILER, MOBILE HOME, TENT, CAVE, LONG-HOUSE, DOME-HOUSE, EARTH-LODGE, IGLOO, LEAN-TO, DUPLEX, MULTI-PLEX, WIGWAMS (WIKKIUPS), PIT HOUSES, some people call their dwelling a CRIB, a TREE-HOUSE for some or just plain HOME.

Dwellings. What comes to mind when we hear this word? A place to live is the first thing that I think of, and then I realized that there are so many different words to describe the place where we live.

Don't ask me what made me think of putting this page in here, I'm not really sure, other than Spiritwalker and I were discussing the many different structures our Ancestors lived in. As many know, he is Cherokee/Creek and I am Blackfoot Sioux/Choctaw. There are some differences in our backgrounds and we were talking about how nice it would be to build some of the traditional dwellings of our Ancestors. Our youngest son, Fire Keeper, wants to build a Tipi for himself. Our daughter, Sweet Butterfly, has expressed how nice it would be to live in a long-house. Our 2 oldest sons, Lone Beaver and Fighting Badger, would live in tents if it meant that they could be on the pow-wow trail all the time. <SMILE> But when you have little ones, which each of them do, it could get alittle hectic in a tent.

When we consider what the Ancient Americans lived in, the list could possibly go on and on. On this page I want to list the different types of dwellings that people of yester-years and even today live(d) in.

My parents lived in everything from tents to a camping trailer my Dad bought to travel around in. During the time I was growing up, we lived in a clapboard house and later bought some land and a mobile home. Spiritwalker and I have often felt like we lived in our van, as much time as we spend in it during pow-wow season.

Our children have lived in houses, duplexes, multi-plexes (even though it was just an apartment building) and now 3 of our children live in mobile homes and 1 lives in a house.

It is my belief that if you look at how People live(d), it will tell you a lot about who they are/were. This includes the type of dwelling they used also. When you consider that the dwelling was constructed out of what was available at the time and influenced by the climate in which they live(d), the differences in dwellings can be many. Many times it will show if they were nomadic or sedentary. And some were even both.

We consider ourselves both. Why? It is based on lifestyle. We have a home that we come to when we are not on the pow-wow trail, but we also are nomadic in the sense that we go where our work takes us, setting up 'housekeeping' while we are there. Be it in a tent, trailer, the van, another house, or even in a hotel.

The first 2 parts of this definition is what I am after. It's kind of straight forward and sensible. To remain in one spot is to dwell, and we use dwellings as residences. Makes perfect sense.

As I mentioned earlier, Native Americans dwellings comprised of a variety of different styles based upon their environment and lifestyle. Styles included tipis (tepees), hogans, adobe houses, long houses, wigwams (wikkiups), earth-lodges, brush shelters and lean-tos. Most of these appear to be rather simplistic in design. However, some of the ancient civilizations were quite intricate in structure and accomodations. Such as the Anasazi.

The Pueblo Bonito community in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico (one of the most recognized ruin sites), housed about 1,000 people at its peak. It thrived for about 400 years after its construction in 920 A.D. The residents lived in a huge semicircular masonry structure that covered over 3 acres and was built around a central plaza. It is believed to have contained at least 660 rooms built on a series of graduated terraces that served as streets. The entire complex rose 4-5 stories on the outermost ring and was contained in the front by a wall.

Another popular ruin site is located at Mesa Verde, in Colorado. It is a 200 mile strectch of land perched on cliffsides 1,000-2,000 feet above the countryside. Cut into numerous fingershaped plateaus by rugged canyons. This village was prominent for 700 years up until the later 13th Century. As many as 7,000 men, women and children may have lived within the 200 distinct rooms. The series of houses were broken into other nearby communities, such as Long House with 150 rooms, Spruce Tree House with 120 rooms and scores of other smaller groups.

Prior to cliff dwellings, the Anasazi lived in Pit-houses. Constructed of mud, pole and thatch, these above-ground dwellings connected to one another in long rows. 250 years later, houses were made of mortar and stone. The move to cliff dwellings is believed to have been precipitated as a defense measure against invaders.

Even though the word is Spanish in orgin, meaning sun-dried clay and straw bricks, and it has come to represent the buildings made of these items, the Indians were using these materials to construct homes long before the arrival of the Spanish to the Americas. Indians used adobe to construct compact, terraced, multi-story apartment-like homes. Often, one family's roof served as a patio for the family above. The upper stories were reached by way of wooden ladders.

The original Spanish term also was applied to certain Indian villages of the Southwest where these houses were popular with the Pueblos (so named because they lived in these types of villages) and Hopi.

The Pueblos are descendants of the Anasazi who built great cliff dwellings up to 5 stories high and these structures are believed to be the basis for the later modeled adobes.

The Osage, Omaha, Oto, and Winnebago usually lived in conical homes covered with earth, while the Wichita lived in similar structures but covered theirs with grass.

The layers of tangle-rooted soil with which the houses were covered had excellent insulating properties, but they weren't very sturdy, lasting only about 10 years, when the weight of the dirt on the timbers took its toll and the building collapsed. Because most of their wood supplies had been exhauseted over that period of time, the tribes - rather than rebuild - simply moved on to a more favorable location.

Used by the Navajo, these were cone shaped structures made on a wooden frame around a log tripod surrounded by poles. The logs were covered with mud or bark and a hole at the top allowed smoke to escape. The structure was well insulated and waterproof.

The Iroquois built wooden structures 50 to 100 feet long which could house as many as 12 families. They cleared the land nearest to a river to provide an area for cultivation, to easily see raiders and to use the wood for fuel and building. The rectangular houses were structures of poles and sheeted bark. It's length depended upon the number of families and the width measured between 18 to 25 feet. It had a high arched roof with no windows but there were smoke holes along the roof because there might have been a dozen different fires burning inside at any one time. During snow or rain, the holes were partially or fully closed with sliding panels which severely cut down on ventilation due to the smoke and number of people within.

Along one side of the house was a ground-level platform which served as a kind of bunk bed where men, women and children slept. Another platform was used for storage of pots, kettles, weapons and so forth. On nearby walls and rafters hung dried fruits and vegetables, tobacco and roots.

The central corridor of the house is where all the cooking and socializing took place. Privacy was achieved by lowering 'curtains' between compartments on the sleeping platform.

Such Iroquois villages lasted about 20 years because by then, the land was exhausted as was the wood supply. In such a case, the village was abandoned in stages while a new one was being constructed at a nearby location.

The name tipi is derived from a Dakota word meaning 'a place where one lives'. Developed by Indians of the northern forests, the tipi was crafted from a pole frame then covered with birchbark, caribou hides or other materials.

The basic structure was then adapted by nomadic Plains tribes, who strengthened the frame against strong winds and sewed buffalo hides together for the covering. Since the Plains Indians were constantly on the move, their homes had to be readily transportable. The supporting poles were lashed to the sides of a horse and other pieces dragged along the ground forming a kind of triangle. The buffalo hide covering, as well as most of the family's other belongings, were then carried off to the new location by the horse.

To guard against the strong winds that swept across the Plains, usually from the west, tipis were sent up with its entrance to the east and were even tilted slightly in that direction to lessen wind pressure against the back of it. In winter, the Indians added another layer of skin to line the inside of the tipi and act as insulation. With a central fire, the tipi stayed warm and comfortable. The fire also furnished heat for cooking and thus, an opening at the tip of the tipi allowed for smoke to escape. The front of the tipi had flaps to seal in the warmth. But, in summer, they left the flaps open to allow cool breezes to circulate.

Built by the Eastern Algonquin, these structures were oval, dome shaped frames of wood that were covered with bark, cattail stalks, or woven mats which could then be raised to let in light.

In the Northwest, Native American cultures lived in a shelter known as the 'plank house'. The plank house varied in shape and design according to the tribe who was building it. It varied from a simple shed-like building to a partly underground shelter like the Mogollon shelter.

The plank house was made primarily from wood pieces found along the areas near the sea or water body. Each house was built by placing the wood on poles imbedded in the ground. Eventually the roof was placed on top in an upside-down 'V' shape. These houses were considered very durable to the emvironment, especially dampness and rain.

The villages of the Northwest revolved around the environment which enveloped them. Large structures of enormous logs notched and fitted together became the primary housing for most of the peoples of this area and distinct, private sections for sleeping areas for the many families which lived there. Other wooden structures were used for ceremonial purposes, as well as for, birthing mothers and burial sites.

Villages were semi-permanent, in that they were used during the winter months and then taken apart to provide housing for the summer months. During the winter, these houses were located near the sea, but with the coming of spring, the houses were dismantled and relocated near rivers to take advantage of the spawning of the local salmon.

Status among the villagers was labeled by 'totem poles' in the front of their dwellings, as well as material wealth in the form of baskets, cloaks, ornaments and food.

Procurement of food was based on hunting and gathering. Because of the climate, gardening did not seem to be of use, rather, the use of acorns and of the local animals became the primary form of subsistence. Whaling was one of the main sources of meat and, as the hunters periodically brought home tese enormous creastures, ceremonies along the banks of the waterways were held in the whales' honor.

These shelters were used in a wide variety of environments. The conical dwellings were made from a framework of tree poles bound together with vine stalks and covered with either brush, grass or tule. These shelters were fairly warm and safe. They held up under many of the weather conditions in which they were placed.

Villages consisting of this form of housing were generally small and spread out. The villages within this region were not a structuralized permanent settlement, rather they were small band-sized settlements which offered protection from the elements and mobility for the members of the group.

Mobility was of utmost importance in following game which was the staple form of subsistence. Fish was probably the most important form of food for these hunting and gathering peoples. The cultures of this area also utilized the spawning season of salmon and dried these fish for use during nonproductive hunting periods. With the possible exception of the oak tree, these people did not cultivate plants. Acorns were used for food, while large trees offered a protective barrier from enemies.

The Mogollon pit house was built partly underground. These shelters were widely used on the western coast of present day California, all the way up to the edge of the northwest area. Mogollon shelters had mud plastered roofs supported by a frame work of tree saplings.

Partly underground shelter constructions were great for all kinds of climate. These structures provided excellent insulation against the hardest elements of nature. Mogollon shelters could protect people from a range of 100 degrees F (daytime temp) to 32 degrees F at night. The cultures who lived in these Mogollon shelters rarely had more than 30 in a village. This is because the Mogollon shelters were not specifically created to support large settlements.

The village patterns of the Great Basin and West were as varied as the environments which enveloped them. In the areas of the Far West, including California and its northern neighbors, the popular form of housing was that of the pit house or similar forms of these houses. The villages which were comprised of these houses were relatively small in size and were made up of family bands. Only during special occasions did groups of independent families come together.

Activities such as large rabbit hunts would bring together different families for several purposes other that subsistence. It was a social event for the sharing of news and information and for the finding mates.

The Native Americans of the Southwest such as the Anasazi and the Pueblo, lived in structures made out of semicurcular masonry. The shelter masnonry is related to the same masonry used is the creation of southwestern pottery. These shelters were primarily built on cliffs with large shallow caves. The cave top was then used as the roof for the shelters.

These shelters had many doorways which lead to the neighboring person or family. Not only did these shelters have doors on the sides, but also in the ceilings, which connected the person or family living above them. The bottom of the shelter had many openings which lead to ceremonial chambers. Wooden or bone ladders were used to reach the next level or terrace of rooms.

The villages of the Southwest are known for their great attention to detail and using the landscape of the region to their advantage. Circular subterranean chambers known as 'kivas' were used as primary sources of rituals and were located strategically along a patter which represented either the cosmos, or the primary landscape figures near by.

Houses, as well as other structures, were made of stone and reinforced by huge pine timbers which were hauled in from up to 60 miles away. Buildings were positioned and spaced in such a way as to coincide with certain cosmological features during certain phases, representing the cycles of birth, life, and death.

A complex network of individual houses and buildings made up an almost urban-like village. Long walls, intricate stairways, level gardens, and complex road systems linked these structures together in a particular pattern.

From the cliff houses of Norther Arizona, to the enormous kivas of Pueblo Bonito, each structure in the village had a religious motive behind its construction, and together they represented the one-ness with the Earth.

The Native Americans of the arctic and subarctic usually did not have permanent shelters, rather they built temporary ones. The first of these temporary houses is the Snowhouse or Igloo. This type of shelter was used more in the artic than in the subartic.

The first task of building a snowhouse was to find a layer of snow with a cohesive level. Once this was found, the snow was cleared and a circle from 9-15 feet in width was drawn. The person ten stood in the circle and began to cut blocks of ice about 2 ft. X 2 ft. X 4 inches, placing them along the line of the circle.

All of the next rows of ice were done the same way, except they were placed leaning towards the inside closer and closer to the top. While the person on the inside proceeded with this, a person on the outside of the circle placed snow on the walls and patted it down hard. After the last block of ice was laid in the center, the person inside cut a hole in the bottom of the shelter about 2 ft. from the ground.

The sod dwelling was typically used by members of cultures that lived in present day Alaska. These sod dwellings were dome-shaped and built on a frame of driftwood or whale bone. This frame was then covered with layers of sod.

These houses were partly built underground and consisted of one large room, for sleeping and eating. There was also a passageway used for storing materials and sometimes as a kitchen. These partly underground, sod layered houses provided the dwellers good protection from the environment.

Some, in the subarctic regions, built sod houses which generally became permanent houses for its inhabitants. Others used pit houses and still others skin tents which were supported by whale ribs.

Further north, the use of ice and snow in the form of igloos became a more efficient means of housing. Villages tended to be quite small to enhance mobility.

Usually one individual was labeled the leader, and was depended upon to not only support his own family, but also the families of all those within his group.

The leader was defined by his ability to hunt and bring home meat consistently. In many of the societies of the subarctic, an egalitarian relationship was adopted out of fear of individual supremacy.

Much of the subsistence was derived from local animals such as deer, caribou, birds, as well as seals and whales. Because of the harsh conditions, gardening was not an option and vegetations was limited to the short summer seasons.

The Native Americans of the Plains lived in one of the most well known shelters, the Tipi. The Plains cultures adapted this basic structure because many of these people were hunters, so their houses had to be easily movable.

The Tipi was an ideal dwelling because it could hold up to the hot weather of the summer months, and the cooler weather of the fall and winter months. These shelters were also very durable to the extreme winds which blew across the Plains from the West.

The Tipi was made up of a basic framework of 3-4 long poles and layers of animal skins covering the frame. These skins were often painted in bright colors to show clan affiliations and/or social standing of the people dwelling within. (Some tipis used as many as 12-15 poles in the construction of the frame, depending on how big it was intended to be.)

The Native Americans from the Plains used anywhere from 8-20 different animal skins to cover the outside of the tipi. The top of the tipi had a smoke hole which could be adjusted to retain heat and smoke or let it out.

The areas of domestication in the Plains tended to revolve around mobility. Housing for the Western Plains cultures consisted of easily built and dismantled bison skin tipis. Such lodgings allowed for greater mobility, which was of utmost importance for following game.

These small encampments were most likely structured in a semi-circular fashion allowing for protection from animals and other dangers. Stone-rimmed fire pits located near the center of the village offered a meeting place, as well as, a source of heat. Other smaller fire pits were located near or inside the individual tipis for cooking and drying.

Most of the houses were located relatively close to one another, again in a circular pattern. Many of the villages used protective barriers similar to the palisades of the Northeast and dry moats for protection from enemies.

The Eastern Plains people also incorporated gardening into their lifestyle. Crops such as corn, beans, and squash were raised near the village and stored in pits below the floors of the individual houses.

The shelters of the Northeast Native Americans were called Long Houses. The long house was favored more in the winter months than in the summer ones. The long house was a one story appartment house, with many people of the tribe/family sharing the same space.

In an average long house, there would be 3-4 fireplaces usually lined with small fieldstones. With this many fireplacws, smoke would fill up the house, so the house would be built with several smoke holes in the roof. The typical long house was estimated to be about 50 feet long.

The long house is basically a stretched out wigwam. The construction of a long huse usually began with 2 parallel rows of straight elm-tree trunks. Opposites were bent over and lashed to the other side, making a long row of arches. Closing the ends of the long house was done in 2 different fashions.

The villages of the Northeastern prehistoric cultures were based on the abounding forests,lakes and streams nearby. The primary housing structure has become known as the 'longhouse' which were thatched with bark and stretched sometimes as far as 125 feet.

Houses were located near one another and all were surrounded by a large fence-like barricade known as a pallisade. Pallisades consisted of long, sharpened sticks which stood 10-12 feet high. The wall was then reinforced with timbers for added security.

All villages had some form of raised structure for ceremonial purposes, usually located near the center of the encampment, as well as, burial sites near the edge of the village.

The wigwam was a round shelter used by many different Native American cultures in the East and Southeast. It is considered one of the best shelters made. It was safe and as warm as the best houses built by the early colonists.

The wigwam has a curved surface which can hold up against the worst weather of any region. The male of the family was responsible for the framing of the wigwam. Young green tree saplings, of any type tree, were used. They ranged from 10-15 feet long and were bent to fit a circle that had been drawn between 10-16 feet in diameter. The bent saplings were then placed over the circle, using the tallest saplings in the middle and the shorter ones on the outside. The saplings formed arches all in one direction on the circle. The nest set of saplings was used to wrap around the wigwam to give the shelter support. When the 2 sets of saplings were finally tied together, the sides and roof were placed on it. The sides of the wigwam were usually bark stripped from trees.

The villages of the Southeast have become known as the Mound Builders because of the massive earthen mounds they built around and among the villages. The uses of these mounds varied. Some were burial places for nobility, others were used to raise the houses of the nobility to separate them from the lower classes. Still others were used as shelter for the inhabitants of the villages.

Some mounds were used for ceremonial and religious purposes. MOst of the inhabitants of these villages did not live within the grounds of the village area. They lived nearby in small agricultural areas and visisted the 'downtown area' only on significant occasions. Those who lived outside the main area provided most of the food and labor for the village as a whole.

Most, if not all, of the burial mounds were indicative of upper class individuals while the lower class buried their people in small cemeteries outside the village plaza.

There is much we can learn about a People if we will just take the time to explore their cultures/ways. There are many more sites out there that have wonderful information about the different Indegenous Peoples of North America, please take time and investigate, learn all you can. If we ignore our past, we will come to regret it.~SH