Britannica
Sources used in this answer
- Plateau Indian - Settlement patterns and housing
- Indigenous peoples of the Great Plains - Settlement patterns and housing
- Indigenous peoples of the Great Basin - Technology and economy
- wickiup
- American Subarctic peoples - Settlement and housing
- Indigenous peoples of the Great Basin - Social organization
- Indigenous peoples of California - Settlement patterns
- wickiup
What kinds of shelters did pedestrian Great Basin peoples build in summer and winter?
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Indigenous peoples of the Great Basin
Kaylei Weed (left) of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe with her two sons and mother, Elaine Ethel Weed, at the Wind River Indian Reservation in 2015.
Pedestrian peoples of the Great Basin traditionally utilized two primary types of shelters, which were adapted to the seasonal requirements of their environment.1
- Summer Shelters: During the summer months, these groups constructed semicircular brush windbreaks. These structures provided necessary protection while allowing for the frequent mobility required to exploit seasonal food resources without exhausting local supplies.1
- Winter Shelters: For the winter season, they built domed wickiups. These dwellings were constructed using a framework of poles covered with materials such as brush, bark slabs, grass, or reed mats.12
Regardless of the season, these pedestrian groups typically sited their winter villages along the edges of valley floors to maintain proximity to essential water and firewood resources.1