Home · Survival · Housing

Housing

The homes of the Carrier were built of wood and earth, so they did not last a long time. Large houses were built with two entrances, one at each end. The doors were usually board doors, but some had doorways cut in the end walls some distance above ground. There were never any windows built in these homes. The fireplace was in the center of the room and was made on the ground. The sleeping places were laden with spruce boughs and undressed skins. When these houses became too crowded the family would build a summer lodge nearby. These summer lodges were much smaller and poorly built. Instead of four upright posts, there were only two. The walls were made of posts, held together with willow bark.

Fishing lodges, inhabited only during the fishing season, were built in the same fashion as the summer lodges. Boards were laid across the tops of the wall posts so that the fish could be set to dry. These lodges were not only a place to dry fish but the homes of the fishing people.

Winter lodges were built as close as possible to a large area of wood, as carrying the wood was a difficult task. These winter homes had to be located in a different spot each year.

Hunter-Gatherers · Use of the Caribou · Diet · Cooking & Storing · Clothing · Housing · Tools & Weapons · Story by Doreen Patrick