Longhouse

[Woods Dweller]

How-D folks! Have a question. Has any one ever made an Iroquois Longhouse?

http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/IroquoisVillage/constructionone.html
http://www.peace4turtleisland.org/pages/longhouse.htm

The frame I want to make out of 7’ 2x4 putting one foot in the ground, and long Bamboo polls for the side walls as well as the roof frame. I want to cover the frame with canvas. I want to make it about 7’ tall 10’ wide and 20’ long.
Any suggestions?

 

[Muskeg Stomper]

Yes several but not quite as large of the one you are planning. My method involves bending saplings towards the middle and lashing them instead of using straighter walls with a bent roof. I have never used a 2 X 4 footer. I always just sharpened the ends of saplings to fill in sections where other saplings grew naturally. Also Google wickiup.

A friend of mine has constructed two longhouses approximately the size that you are planning but ran out of canvas before I saw the finished project.

 

[Woods Dweller]

I have made the Wigwam and they are much smaller. The longhouse was to hold more people [entire Families] and supplies.

Here is a photo of the construction of the longhouse.


http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/IroquoisVillage/images/figure4sketchlg.gif


Needing more canvas is a problem I am having also. But I don’t need it till winter so I am getting yards of it at a time.

I hope to have a trial setup by the fall [October] I’ll try to post some photos.

 

[Muskeg Stomper]

I hope to have a trial setup by the fall [October] I’ll try to post some photos.

Please do, I'd like to see it.

Russ

 

[shadowhawk]

just an idea but you could also use a method that the pnw indains used. they would ty reeds and saplings in to mats then use the mats like you would a canvas. they also dug the floor area down about 2 feet deep to make more room and to stay cooler.