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All About Haida Homes

© Mary M. Alward

Natives of the northwest coast could not live in teepees because of the wet climate. Heavy rain would have destroyed such homes. Instead, natives along the coast made their homes of cedar.

The house was supported by four corner posts that were large trunks of trees set deeply into the ground. Many men pulled the corner posts into position with heavy ropes. Walls were made of cedar planks. These were made by pounding wedges into a cedar log with a stone hammer called a "maul." The pounding continued until the log split.

The roofs of the homes were made of planks and cedar bark. These overlapped one another and were held down by large stones. Wall structure and roof lines varied with the area. At times, walls were lashed together so they could be taken down and moved to fishing camps.

The cedar homes of the northwest coast natives had only one small opening, which was the entrance. Some had carved poles at the front, which were called "frontal poles." A hole would be made in the center of the pole to allow access into the house.

Many Haida homes had totem poles in front of them. The natives carved these totems from the giant cedars. I will tell you more about totems in a future article.

Inside, each family had separate living quarters. Bull rush or cedar mats were woven to make partitions. Each partition opened to the center of the house. Here, fires burned continually to provide both light and a cooking fire. Smoke escaped through an opening in the roof. Even though an outlet was provided for the fires, some smoke would have still circulated in the house. The smell of burning cedar would have permeated (penetrated) everything in the building. Hair, clothes, baskets, blankets and anything else stored in the house would have smelled like cedar smoke.

Between forty to sixty people resided in one house, depending on its size. Can you imagine living under one roof with sixty different people? Many related families lived together under one roof, though each family lived separately and was responsible for its own clothing, baskets and meals. Families set up living quarters in their favorite fishing and berry spots during the summer months.

There were pros and cons (positive and negative things) about everyone living together. Though they lived separately, there would have been little privacy. The good thing was, they all joined together to gather food and preserve it.

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