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Click to Learn how to
build a Pit House
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The majority of the Secwepemc people lived a nomadic lifestyle,
moving from place to place as food became available in different areas.
To live comfortably in their environment, the Secwepemc lived in winter
and summer lodges. They lived in permanent pithouses, s7istcen (winter
homes), in the winter and portable lodges that resembled teepees in the
summer months.
Winter villages were located by main waterways. For example
some of the Secwepemc lived near the banks of the Fraser River, Columbia
River, and the North Thompson and South Thompson Rivers. Most village
sites had about three or four s7istcen. Some villages were known to have
many more.
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Winter Village by Dave Seymour |
These homes were made by the extended family groups and
sometimes housed up to two families. Others were noted to hold multi-families
and these were larger. Some ranged from five to twenty-five metres in
diametre. Pits were one to two metres deep. Everyone was involved in digging,
removing soil from the pit, gathering and preparing other building materials.
Removed soil would later be used for the roof covering.
Even the placement of homes would have to be well thought
out so that there would be no unnecessary leakage or flooding. House posts
would be gathered and larger poles would be used for the frame. Posts
would be bound together using wet rawhide so that when it dried it would
tighten and secure the structure in place. Many other smaller poles would
be used to cover the framework. The roof of the pithouse was made of a
combination of cedar bark and sod that provided both insulation and camouflage.
The sod also had plants growing in it that soaked up water when it rained
outside.
Careful consideration was placed on the location of entranceways.
Separate entrances were required for both men and women. The women's entrance
was low, facing the water; this entrance purified the pit house and made
water packing easier. The men's entrance was a hole on top of the pit
house and a log with steps and hand-holds carved into it provided a ladder
for the men to climb in and out. The log ladder pointed east toward the
sunrise which also signified the cycle of life. The roof entrance also
served as the smoke hole.
The main hearth fire was built just below the roof opening.
A winter home would take about one day to construct with the aid of the
people from the village. Homes were said to belong to the women and passed
on to their daughters. After it was built everyone would feast in the
house that they built together.
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