*
ALASKAN dATELLlNNS.
Nov Paerg
Mhn* etdwelling3 h .ve always been, fi ■>:•* tine icncn mial, structures found
adapted by hi:: to thepparticului locality that ho inhabited. That is no
less true of the nab it ati ms th ■ it the natives of Alaska have builded.
Although we stay not agfee with the;: xs to the on de of life that they lead
we must ad.tit that the place at hey called hone tVrere adapted to the life that
they lead*
Av.i ng the Thiingit and Kan.da Indians the permanent structure was a large
log house sometimes as ouch as ninety feet in length and over half the
lenght in breadth. Ihe size of these houses was such that no one family cou
ld hope to raise one unassisted. In consequenc.e the whole clan took part
and the supervision of the undertaking was ;intrusted te some one of the
chief ten# The materials were gathered tbs? years before the erection of
the framework began. dVhen the :, at la rial had been gathered the elan felt c ori
el lei to gather wealth for the attendant cere:: my of the potlatch*
When at last the material was ready,the hoarded wealth sufficient to take
a great shoV, and the participants were assembled the shanai or ra&dicine
men began his (SnnfcntatAons# v'Jhen Che corner post of the new fort-hone were
ready slaves were sacrificed and buried under then :iuch the sane as we
leave bibles and current newspapers in our corner-stone3.However;the thrifty
householder did not sacrifice his choice slave,but usually took those that
were old or diseased and who were readly of very little loss ic him#
the Haiba the house was orna m.eni'ed with carving representing the
totem, or coat-of-arms of the occupants or incidents in their family history.
Ihe si des and roof were covere d with bark, except over the center of th e
room, which was left open for the escape of ursoks
Around three sides of this large room i an a platform about three feet
fron the floor# Under thre were the sleeping cubby-holes and the possessions
of the others were piled :n top* Many families lived in these large houses
and cooked over the communal ir es in the eenter of the roon.
These tribes coted temporary shelters of salvage boards for the fishing
season near the streams where they fished# There were part tent and part
house, according to how much Li fber there wke predent*
To the Westward the con:on type of .welling ia the ” Barbara#" Ihe native
wishing to build a hone first excavates a pit in the shape of the proposed
ljpnse fron three to four feast deep. Into this pit is put a framework of
heavy logs and across the top are laid low pitched rafters# This rude str
ucture is then enti rely enclosed in ads with ‘he exception of the smoke
hole which can be closed on nesessity by a piece of seas gut through wh
ich the only light of the house is obtained.. Cy the advent of the tahites
the natives often purchased log huts fron theta rders and took then to their
own settlements where they were re-erect© 1# This was the source of much
pride to theoccupant,but wbn cold weather came thoy were usually found out
in the old barbara# ‘ ,^t
On the shores of Cook Inlet, on which sons of the Avhapaacan tribes live,
the two compartment log houses is used. In i»)v> outer compantnent all the
rough work and cooking is lone r\n 1 in the inner is the keeping and liv
ing compartment# This i3 floored and ceiled,btn end can be^ alnost hernet
ically sealed by means of panels of seal gut to .
sleeping place even in the coldest weatner. 11.-is
form or five feet high.
Some of the houses in this region are guil do i clnse together and opne
into each other so as to trim a oo r.on work-roo a.
In the vicinity of Prince William Sound t.ie eat ires, being r.ore peaceful
than their neighbors, the Thlingit, selecte 1 isolate pc 3d aions that were ea
easily defended to w&ch they took their women ml josmeasions in event the
enemy warred upon then*These sjots of refuge wire called ’’Kekurs#
(Con’t I next week)
s to fam a very warn
inner jornartr.ent is only