Shelters like the lean-to and the tipi were highly portable dwellings constructed mainly by nomadic tribes. Although these shelters were effective at keeping the elements at bay, they were not designed to be permanent fixtures. As a result, nomadic architecture differed from that of sedentary communities in both design and constituent materials. Sedentary communities constructed shelters made of logs, mud bricks (adobe), and even built structures around excavated holes using packed mud to seal in vital warmth. One dwelling employing this unique architecture was the earth lodge.
During his time among the indigenous and sedentary tribes of the American Plains, George Catlin made careful cultural observations of his host communities. Surprisingly, indigenous architecture is one of the subjects in which Catlin is lacking in his usual intricate detail. Catlin did provide useful observations on the technique used by Plains tribes during seasonal migrations and the speed with which the members of these communities erected and struck their habitations. He did not give much written detail about the architecture of the sedentary communities he visited. He did, however, leave a series of paintings that spoke louder than his written observations. One such painting shows the layout of a primary Hidatsa village that was situated along the Missouri River. The Hidatsa, Mandan, Arikara, Ponca, Osage, and Pawnee tribes used the tipi for part of the year, but were also known to construct permanent dwellings for the winter months. In his painting, Catlin recorded the first rendering of an Plains earth lodge.
A typical Plains earth lodge is a partially subterranean dwelling that has a domed roof. To construct the earth lodge, indigenous architects dug a three to four foot pit that was up to forty feet in diameter. Some larger earth lodges have been measured at up to 60 feet in diameter. A log structure was then built around the excavated site and was subsequently covered in thatch, grass, or tree branches. To seal in vital heat and protect the occupants from the howling winds of a Plains night, the excavated earth was piled around the finished structure and packed tightly.
The inside of a Plains earth lodge can fit an entire family, and in some cases more than one family. The center of the earth lodge was almost always occupied by the fire pit--which was used both for warmth and to cook food. The smoke from the fire pit escaped through a hole located in the center of the structure’s convex ceiling. When the heavens opened and the rains came down, a durable roof covering was placed over the hole to protect the occupants from the deluge. Due to its size and the scope of the materials used in its construction, the earth lodge is widely viewed as among the most durable indigenous structures. It is estimated, that a typical Plains earth lodge could last between six and seven years without requiring reconstruction.
Peter Nabokov, Native American Testimony: A Chronicle of Indian-White Relations From Prophecy to Present. (New York: Penguin Book, 1978).
Carl Waldman, Atlas of the North American Indian. (New York: Checkmark Books, 2000).
Carl Waldman, Encyclopedia of Native Tribes. (New York: Checkmark Books, 2006).
