Although often used to refer to the dwelling of virtually any Native American, wigwam originally referred only to the dwellings of the Algonquian-speaking peoples of the northeastern woodlands. The word is Abenaki in origin. Perfectly adapted to the seminomadic lifestyle of the woodland people, the wigwam could be easily constructed in less than a day. The typical wigwam was oval and consisted of saplings set in the ground and bent into arches and lashed with basswood or cedar fiber. Crossbars were lashed to these arches for strength. The resultant frame was covered with large bark strips (usually of white birch, less often of elm, ash, or cedar), leaving a smoke hole in the center and one end open for a doorway, which was covered with a hide or a woven rush mat. In some cases the lower, vertical portions would also be covered with woven mats. Long ropes of cedar fibers, weighted on either end by stones, would be used to keep the bark and mats secure. The finished structure could be up to twenty feet long and fourteen feet wide, with walls six or seven feet high and an overall height of fourteen feet at the arch. The sleeping areas were arranged around the central fire and consisted of mats or cedar boughs and animal skins. A storage area was established at the rear of the structure.
Woodland peoples used the wigwam for sleeping, for storing possessions, and as an escape from inclement weather. All other activity was generally conducted outdoors. At the end of the season, the valuable bark strips, mats, and ropes would be removed and carried to the next site. The frame was left standing. When a person died, the body was removed from the wigwam through a hole made in the west wall, since this was the direction in which the dead were believed to travel. The doorway was always to the east so that one would greet the sun upon arising.
See also
Architecture.
