How to Build an Indian Longhouse
In the United States, it's common for a child in the upper-elementary age range to come home from school excited about a new class project. It's your child's turn to make an Indian longhouse. There is no need for parents to panic; making a longhouse isn't that difficult. Working together with children on this project can be an enjoyable way to learn about a different culture. All you need are a few simple supplies and a small amount of free time.
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Things You'll Need
- Shoebox
- Brown or off-white paint
- Scissors
- Colored pencils
- Brown construction paper
- Pencil
- Twigs
- Pieces of bark, preferably elm or birch
- Hot-glue gun
- Glue sticks
Instructions
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1
Paint the shoebox brown or off-white so that it looks like elm or birch bark. Keep the lid off the shoebox while you're painting it.
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2
Once the paint dries, use scissors to cut a door on the side of the longhouse that will face east and another door on the side that will face west. If your child was assigned a particular tribe, draw the clan's totemic animal on both the front and back doorways.
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3
Fold some small pieces of brown construction paper to make beds. Glue them to the side walls, placing three or four on each side. The Native Americans slept on the low bunks and used the spaces underneath to store furs and mats.
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4
Place three or four marks horizontally across the center line of the shoebox between the beds on each side. These represent the cooking fires in the longhouse.
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5
Dab the marks with hot glue and place some broken-up twigs on top of the glue to increase the authenticity.
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6
Take some pieces of paper, smaller than the beds, and glue them to the walls over the beds. These represent the shelves the Native Americans used to hold weapons, herbs, baskets, dried tobacco and corn-husk mats.
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7
Use large pieces of bark to create a roof. When displaying the longhouse, the bark is removed to show the interior.
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