How to Build a Cherokee House
"Asi" is the Cherokee word for winter wattle and daub houses. These are round, small, wattle and daub dwellings without windows. These woven houses have thatched roofs of grass or are shingled with bark. They are coated inside and out, with plaster made of mud, animal hair and straw. This same mixture was used in later Cherokee log cabin construction and in the fabrication of their rectangular summer homes.
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Things You'll Need
- Stick
- 10 foot locust or sassafras timbers
- Shovel
- Hatchet
- Hickory or white oak bark strips
- Saplings
- Cypress or pine bark
- Mud
- Dried grass and animal hair
- Poplar boards
- Buffalo hide
Instructions
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1
Mark the outside dimension for the dwelling on the ground with a sturdy stick.
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2
Cut small timbers of locust or sassafras, making them 10 feet long.
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3
Dig holes at 3 foot intervals to hold the vertical supports. Dig as deep as the earth will allow. This will depend on your location and the amount of rocks in the soil.
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4
Set the poles in the ground with six or seven feet extending above the ground.
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5
Notch the top of these posts with a hatchet and lay a wall plate on them. Tie together with white oak strips.
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6
Erect a large pole at the center of the two gables.
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7
Tie a ridge pole across these longer poles with hickory or white oak bark strips.
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8
Fashion some mats of split saplings or bundles of canes; these are the ceiling.
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9
Shingle the roof with cypress or pine bark.
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10
Fill the walls with vertically positioned split poles and sticks. Tie them together and strengthen them with horizontal saplings woven in and out of the vertical members creating a latticework.
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11
Plaster the walls on both sides with a mixture of dried grass, animal hair and mud.
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12
Make a door of poplar boards covered with wet buffalo hide. The hide will tightened the door as it dries. Make one foot windows for ventilation.
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References
- Photo Credit grunge background 1 image by Vonora from Fotolia.com
