And today we will acquaint our readers with the meaning of the word "wigwam" and its differences from the "teepee" of nomadic tribes.

Traditionally, a wigwam is called the place of residence of the forest Indians, who lived in the northern and northeastern parts of the continent of North America. As a rule, a wigwam is a small hut,the total height of which is 3-4 meters. It has a domed shape, and in the largest wigwams, about 30 people can live at the same time. Also small in size huts, having a conical shape and similar to tipi, can also be attributed to wigwams. Now wigwams are often used as a place for traditional ceremonies.

Analogues of wigwams can also be found among some African peoples, the Chukchi, Evengs and Soits.

As a rule, the frame of the hut is made of thin and flexible tree trunks. They are bound and covered with tree bark or plant mats, corn leaves, hides and pieces of cloth. There is also a combined version of the coating, which is also additionally strengthened from above with a special outer frame, and in case of its absence, with trunks or special poles. The entrance to the wigwam is closed with a curtain, and its height can be either small or the full height of the wigwam.


There is a chimney at the top of the wigwam, which is often covered with a piece of bark. Raise it to remove smoke with a pole. Domed wigwam options can have both vertical and sloping walls. Most often there are round wigwams, but sometimes you can see a rectangular design. The wigwam can be stretched out into a fairly long oval and also have a number of chimneys instead of one. As a rule, oval wigwams are called long houses.

Cone-shaped wigwams have frames made of straight poles that are tied together at the top.

The word "wigwam" originates in the Proto-Algonquian dialect, and it is translated as "their house". However, there is also an opinion that this word came to the Indians from the language of the eastern Abenaki. At different peoples your own pronunciation given word, but in general they are quite close.

There is also another term - wetu. Although widely used by Massachusetts Indians, the term has not caught on in the rest of the world.


Nowadays, wigwams are most often called domed dwellings, as well as simpler huts in their design, in which Indians from other regions live. Each tribe gives its wigwam its own name.

In the literature, this term is most often found as a designation of the domed residence of the Indians from Tierra del Fuego. They are quite similar to the traditional Native American wigwams from North America, but they are distinguished by the absence of horizontal ligaments on the frame.

Also, a wigwam is often called the dwelling of the Indians from the High Plains, which is correctly called the word.

Tents of various sizes, similar in shape to wigwams, are quite often used in various rituals of rebirth and purification in the tribes of the Great Plains, as well as from a number of other regions. In this case, a special steam room is made and the wigwam itself in this case is the body of the Great Spirit himself. The round shape denotes the world as a whole, and steam in this case is a prototype of the Great Spirit itself, which performs spiritual and cleansing regeneration and transformation.

The Indians had two types of dwellings that distinguished them from other peoples - a tipi and a wigwam. They have features peculiar to the people who used them. They are also adapted to the typical activities of humans and the environment.

To each according to his needs

The houses of nomads and settled tribes are different. The former prefer tents and huts, while the latter prefer stationary buildings or semi-dugouts. If we talk about the dwellings of hunters, then one could often see the skins of animals on them. North American Indians - a people for whom a large number was characteristic. Each group had its own.

For example, the Navajos preferred semi-dugouts. They created an adobe roof and a corridor called "hogan" through which one could enter inside. Former residents of Florida built pile huts, and for nomadic tribes from the Subarctic, the most convenient was the wigwam. In the cold season, it was covered with skin, and in the warm season, with birch bark.

Scale and strength

The Iroquois built a frame from tree bark that could last up to 15 years. Usually during such a period the community lived near the selected fields. When the land wore out, there was a resettlement. These buildings were quite high. They could reach 8 meters in height, from 6 to 10 meters wide, and sometimes they were 60 meters or more in length. In this regard, such dwellings were nicknamed long houses. The entrance here was located in the end part. Nearby was a picture depicting the totem of the clan, the animal that patronized and protected it. The dwelling of the Indians was divided into several compartments, in each there lived a couple forming a family. Everyone had their own hearth. There were bunk beds near the walls for sleeping.

Settled and nomadic settlements

The Pueblo tribes built fortified houses from stones and bricks. The courtyard was surrounded by a semicircle or circle of buildings. The Indian people built entire terraces on which houses could be built in several tiers. The roof of one dwelling became a platform outside for another, located on top.

People who chose forests for life built wigwams. This is a portable Indian dwelling in the shape of a dome. It differed in small size. The height, as a rule, did not exceed 10 feet, however, up to thirty inhabitants were placed inside. Now such buildings are used for ritual purposes. It is very important not to confuse them with teepee. For nomads, such a design was quite convenient, since they did not have to put much effort into construction. And it was always possible to move the house to a new territory.

Design features

During the construction, trunks were used, which bent well and were quite thin. To bind them, they used elm or birch bark, mats made from reeds or reeds. Corn leaves and grass were also suitable. The nomad's wigwam was covered with cloth or skin. To prevent them from slipping, they used a frame on the outside, trunks or poles. The entrance was covered with a curtain. The walls were inclined and vertical. Layout - round or rectangular. To expand the building, it was pulled into an oval, making several holes for smoke to escape. The pyramidal form is characterized by the installation of even poles that are tied at the top.

The dwelling of the Indians, similar to a tent, was called a tipi. He had poles, from which the skeleton of a conical shape was obtained. The skins of bison were used to form the tire. The hole at the top was designed specifically for the smoke from the fire to go out into the street. During the rain it was covered with a blade. The walls were decorated with drawings and signs that meant belonging to one or another owner. Tipi really resembles a wigwam in many ways, which is why they are often confused. This type of building was also used by the Indian people quite often both in the North and in the Southwest and the Far West traditionally for the purpose of nomadism.

Dimensions

They were also constructed in a pyramidal or cone shape. The diameter of the base was up to 6 meters. Forming poles reached a length of 25 feet. The tire was made from On average, from 10 to 40 animals had to be killed to create the cover. When the North American Indians began to interact with the Europeans, a trade exchange began. They had canvas, which was more light. Both leather and fabric have their drawbacks, so combined products were often created. Wooden pins were used as fasteners; from below, the coating was tied with ropes to pegs sticking out of the ground. A gap was left especially for the movement of air. As in the wigwam, there was a hole for smoke to escape.

Useful Devices

A distinctive feature is that there were valves that regulate the air draft. To stretch them to the lower corners, leather straps were used. This dwelling of the Indians was quite comfortable. It was possible to attach a tent or another similar building to it, which significantly expanded the internal area. From a strong wind, a belt descending from above, which served as an anchor, protected. A lining was laid out at the bottom of the walls, which had a width of up to 1.7 m. It retained internal heat, protecting people from external cold. During the rain, a semicircular ceiling was stretched, which was called "ozan".

Examining the buildings of different tribes, you can see that each of them is distinguished by some of its own, inherent only feature. The number of poles is not the same. They connect differently. The pyramid formed by them can be both inclined and straight. At the base there is an ovoid, round or oval shape. The tire is cut in a variety of options.

Other popular types of buildings

Another interesting dwelling of the Indians is the wikiap, which is also often identified with the wigwam. The building in the form of a dome is a hut in which mainly Apaches lived. It was covered with pieces of cloth and grass. They were often used for temporary purposes to hide. They covered with branches, mats, put on the outskirts of the steppe. The Athabaskans, who inhabited Canada, preferred this type of construction. She was perfect when the army advanced to battle and needed a temporary place of residence in order to hide themselves and hide the fire.

The Navajo settled in hogans. And also in summer-type houses and dugouts. Hogan has a round section, the walls form a cone. Often there are square designs of this type. The door was located in the eastern part: it was believed that the sun brings good luck into the house through it. The building also has a great cult significance. There is a legend that tells that the hogan was first built by a spirit in the form of a coyote. The beavers helped him. They were engaged in construction in order to provide housing for the first people. In the middle of the five-pointed pyramid was a fork pole. The faces had three corners. The space between the beams was filled with earth. The walls were so dense and strong that they could effectively protect people from the winter weather.

At the front was a vestibule where religious ceremonies were held. Residential buildings were large. In the 20th century, the Navajo began to build buildings with 6 and 8 corners. This is due to the fact that then not far from them functioned Railway. It was possible to get sleepers and use them in construction. There was more space and space, despite the fact that the house stood quite firmly. In a word, the habitats of the Indians are quite diverse, but each of them performed the functions assigned to it.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

wigwam- dwelling of the forest Indians of the north and northeast of North America. More often it is a small hut, 8-10 feet high, domed. But up to 25-30 people could live in large wigwams. There are also small huts (about 10 feet high) of a cone shape (type-like). Currently, wigwams are more often used as traditional ceremonial premises. This name is often transferred to the cone-shaped dwellings of the Great Plains Indians - tips, which has become an obsessive literary and colloquial cliché.

Design

The frame of the wigwam is made of curved thin flexible trunks. It is bound and covered with birch or elm bark; mats made of reeds, reeds, grass or corn wrap leaves; skins or unsewn pieces of cloth. Coverage can be combined. From above, it is additionally pressed by an outer frame, poles or tree trunks. The entrance, which is only three feet high or high enough, is covered with a curtain. On top there is a hole for the exit of smoke, covered, for example, with a piece of bark, which can be lifted with a pole. The walls of domed wigwams can be both inclined and vertical. In terms of wigwams, they are often round, but there are oval and rectangular ones. Such dwellings can be extended into a rather long oval and have several smoke holes. Such structures are called long houses.

Teepees of a conical (pyramidal) shape have frames of straight poles connected from above. Moreover, such wigwams are also not only round in plan, but also form a long structure (for example, among the Plateau tribes).

Terminology

The word "wigwam" that has become well-known is an Americanism recorded since 1628. It was taken from the Algonquian languages, possibly from the language of the eastern Abenaki - wìkəwαm or wickwam. Another explanation is from Algonquian wekou-om-ut- "in his (their) house". The term comes from Proto-Algonquian [*wi·kiwa·ʔmi], literally "their home". The various Algonquian languages ​​have their own pronunciations of this word.

In parallel, in the United States, the term of the Algonquian tribe of the Wampanoags of Massachusetts is known - wetu (witu, wetuom), which, however, has not received such distribution in the world. During the period of its use by the settlers, it began to be pronounced as wekuwomut, and since 1666 it was supplanted by the "wigwam".

Among various Algonquian peoples

  • wigwom, wìkəwαm, wickwam, wikwam- Abenaki and Massachusetts;
  • wiigiwaam, Algonquin (may vary in miigiwaam with undefined prefix m- w-);
  • wiquoam- Delaware;
  • wiikiaami- Miami and Illinois;
  • Wikuom- Mi'kmaq;
  • ȣichiȣam- in language nipmuc;
  • wiigiwaam, wiigwaam(abbreviated version) - Ojibwe;
  • wikiwam- in the Unami language;
  • ookowa- Blackfoot (no possessive subject suffix -m);
  • mâhöö"o- Cheyenne (with an indefinite prefix m-, instead of a specific third person prefix w- and without the possessive suffix -m).

Other huts

In popular culture, domed dwellings and simpler huts of Indians from other regions are also called wigwams, although they all have their own national names.

Wikipedia

In the US Southwest, Apache "wigwams" that are covered with grass or pieces of cloth are called wikiaps(vicaps) ( wickiup["wɪkɪʌp]). It is also customary to call wikiaps various huts and temporary shelters covered with mats, grass or branches among various tribes of California and the Great Basin, although they have their own designations. A number of Algonquian tribes have similar names.

  • mekewāp- Cree (with indefinite prefix m-, instead of a specific third person prefixa w-);
  • wikiop- menominee;
  • wikiyaapi- meskvoki;
  • miciwāhp- montagnier (with an indefinite prefix m-, instead of a specific third person prefix w-);
  • wekeab- sauks.

Also, stationary domed dwellings were used by tribes on the outskirts of the steppe: Kanza, Osage, Winnebago. Similar fixed and portable dwellings were found among the Athabaskans of Canada. Occasionally, light domed buildings were also found among the nomads of the plains (Crow, Cheyenne). A similar miniature design was even used as a wagon for children on a drag.

Cone-shaped huts covered with grass or bark were a type of dwelling in the Basin tribes: the Shoshone and the Bannock. If necessary, other nomads could also build cone-shaped huts, covering them with branches (Comanche, Assiniboine). Small huts were used in military campaigns in bad weather and to mask the fire.

Steam room

Similar small or large domed tents are also used in rites of purification and rebirth among the tribes of Woodland and the Great Plains. At the same time, a steam room is arranged (for the Lakota, the ceremony and the tent itself is called inipi- stone + tent), where the tent represents the body of the Great Spirit. Its rounded shape personifies the world as a whole, steam is the visible image of the Great Spirit, performing a cleansing and spiritual transformation. To go out into the white light from this dark room means to leave behind everything impure.

Far analogues

In the literature there is a use of the term "wigwam" for the domed dwellings of the Indians of Tierra del Fuego, which are very similar to North American, but differ in the absence of horizontal ligaments in the frame.

In the Old World, similar domed dwellings are found among the Soits, Evenks and Eskimos (Yaranga), as well as among some peoples of Africa.

see also

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Notes

Literature

  • . (English) .
  • Djorklund K.L. The Indians of Northeasner America. - New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1969. - P. 69-73. (English) .

An excerpt characterizing the Wigwam

Previously, after two or three orders, two or three phrases, marshals and adjutants galloped with congratulations and cheerful faces, declaring the corps of prisoners of war as trophies, des faisceaux de drapeaux et d "aigles ennemis, [bunches of enemy eagles and banners,] and cannons, and carts, and Murat he asked only for permission to send cavalry to pick up the baggage trains.So it was near Lodi, Marengo, Arcole, Jena, Austerlitz, Wagram, etc., etc. Now something strange was happening to his troops.
Despite the news of the capture of the flushes, Napoleon saw that it was not the same, not at all what had been in all his previous battles. He saw that the same feeling that he experienced was experienced by all the people around him, experienced in the matter of battles. All faces were sad, all eyes avoided each other. Only Bosse could not understand the meaning of what was happening. Napoleon, after his long experience of the war, knew well what it meant in the course of eight hours, after all the efforts expended, a battle not won by the attacker. He knew that this was an almost lost battle, and that the slightest chance could now - on that tense point of hesitation on which the battle stood - destroy him and his troops.
When he went over in his imagination all this strange Russian campaign, in which not a single battle was won, in which neither banners, nor cannons, nor corps of troops were taken in two months, when he looked at the covertly sad faces of those around him and listened to reports that that the Russians are still standing, - a terrible feeling, similar to the feeling experienced in dreams, seized him, and all the unfortunate accidents that could destroy him occurred to him. The Russians could attack his left wing, they could tear his middle apart, a stray cannonball could kill him himself. All this was possible. In his previous battles, he considered only the accidents of success, but now countless accidents appeared to him, and he expected them all. Yes, it was like in a dream, when a villain is advancing on him, and in a dream the man swung and hit his villain with that terrible effort, which, he knows, should destroy him, and feels that his hand, powerless and soft, falls like a rag, and the horror of irresistible doom seizes the helpless man.
The news that the Russians were attacking the left flank of the French army aroused this horror in Napoleon. He sat silently on a folding chair under the barrow, his head bowed and his elbows on his knees. Berthier approached him and offered to drive along the line to see what the situation was.
- What? What are you talking about? Napoleon said. - Yes, tell me to give me a horse.
He mounted and rode to Semyonovsky's.
In the slowly dispersing powder smoke throughout the space through which Napoleon rode, horses and people lay in pools of blood, one by one and in heaps. Napoleon and none of his generals had ever seen such a horror, such a number of people killed in such a small area. The rumble of guns, which did not stop for ten hours in a row and exhausted the ear, gave special significance to the spectacle (like music in live pictures). Napoleon rode out to the height of Semenovsky and through the smoke he saw rows of people in uniforms of colors unusual for his eyes. These were Russians.
The Russians stood in tight ranks behind Semyonovsky and the kurgan, and their guns ceaselessly hummed and smoked along their line. There was no more fighting. There was a continuing murder, which could lead neither the Russians nor the French to anything. Napoleon stopped his horse and fell back into that thoughtfulness from which Berthier had led him; he could not stop the deed that was being done before him and around him and which was considered to be led by him and dependent on him, and for the first time this deed, due to failure, seemed to him unnecessary and terrible.
One of the generals who approached Napoleon allowed himself to suggest that he bring the old guard into action. Ney and Berthier, who were standing beside Napoleon, exchanged glances and smiled contemptuously at the general's senseless proposal.
Napoleon lowered his head and was silent for a long time.
“A huit cent lieux de France je ne ferai pas demolir ma garde, [Three thousand two hundred miles from France I can’t let my guards be defeated.] – he said and, turning his horse, rode back to Shevardin.

Kutuzov was sitting with his gray head bowed and his heavy body lowered on a bench covered with a carpet, in the very place where Pierre had seen him in the morning. He did not make any orders, but only agreed or disagreed with what was offered to him.
“Yes, yes, do it,” he replied to various proposals. “Yes, yes, go, my dear, take a look,” he turned first to one, then to another of his associates; or: “No, don’t, we’d better wait,” he said. He listened to the reports brought to him, gave orders when it was required by his subordinates; but, listening to the reports, he did not seem to be interested in the meaning of the words of what was said to him, but something else in the expression of the persons who, in the tone of speech, informed him interested him. He knew with many years of military experience and understood with an old mind that it was impossible for one person to lead hundreds of thousands of people fighting death, and he knew that the fate of the battle was decided not by the orders of the commander-in-chief, not by the place on which the troops stood, not by the number of guns and killed people, and that elusive force called the spirit of the army, and he followed this force and led it, as far as it was in his power.
The general expression on Kutuzov's face was concentrated, calm attention and tension, barely overcoming the fatigue of a weak and old body.
At eleven o'clock in the morning news was brought to him that the fleches occupied by the French were again recaptured, but that Prince Bagration was wounded. Kutuzov gasped and shook his head.
“Go to Prince Peter Ivanovich and find out in detail what and how,” he said to one of the adjutants and after that turned to Prince Wirtemberg, who was standing behind him:
“Would it please your Highness to take command of the First Army.”
Soon after the prince's departure, so soon that he could not yet reach Semenovsky, the prince's adjutant returned from him and reported to his lordship that the prince was asking for troops.

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"Dwellings of the peoples of the world"

(66 “residential properties” selected by us, from “abylaisha” to “yaranga”)

Wall newspapers of the charitable educational project "Briefly and clearly about the most interesting" (site site) are intended for schoolchildren, parents and teachers of St. Petersburg. They are delivered free of charge to most educational institutions, as well as to a number of hospitals, orphanages and other institutions in the city. The publications of the project do not contain any advertising (only logos of the founders), politically and religiously neutral, written in easy language, well illustrated. They are conceived as an information "slowdown" of students, the awakening of cognitive activity and the desire to read. Authors and publishers, without claiming to be academically complete in the presentation of the material, publish Interesting Facts, illustrations, interviews with well-known figures of science and culture and hope thereby to increase the interest of schoolchildren in the educational process.

Dear friends! Our regular readers have noticed that this is not the first time we are presenting an issue related to real estate in one way or another. Recently, we discussed the very first residential buildings of the Stone Age, and also got accustomed to the "real estate" of the Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons (issue). We talked about the dwellings of peoples who have long lived on the lands from Lake Onega to the shores of the Gulf of Finland (and these are Veps, Vods, Izhors, Ingrian Finns, Tikhvin Karelians and Russians), we talked in the series “Indigenous peoples Leningrad region» (, and releases). We reviewed the most incredible and peculiar modern buildings in this issue. More than once we also wrote about holidays related to the topic: Realtor's Day in Russia (February 8); Builder's Day in Russia (second Sunday in August); World Architecture Day and World Dwelling Day (first Monday in October). This wall newspaper is a short "wall encyclopedia" of traditional dwellings of peoples from all over the world. The 66 "residential properties" we have chosen are arranged alphabetically: from "abylaisha" to "yaranga".

Abylaisha

Abylaisha is a camping yurt among the Kazakhs. Its frame consists of many poles, which are attached from above to a wooden ring - a chimney. The whole structure is covered with felt. In the past, such dwellings were used in the military campaigns of the Kazakh Khan Abylai, hence the name.

ail

Ail (“wooden yurt”) is the traditional dwelling of the Telengits, the people of the Southern Altai. Timbered hexagonal structure with an earthen floor and a high roof covered with birch bark or larch bark. There is a hearth in the middle of the earthen floor.

Arish

Arish is the summer home of the Arab population of the Persian Gulf coast, woven from palm leaf stalks. A kind of fabric pipe is installed on the roof, which provides ventilation in the house in extremely hot climates.

Balagan

Balagan is the winter dwelling of the Yakuts. Inclined walls made of thin poles coated with clay were strengthened on a log frame. The low sloping roof was covered with bark and earth. Pieces of ice were inserted into small windows. The entrance is oriented to the east and covered with a canopy. On the western side, a cattle shed was attached to the booth.

Barasti

Barasti is a common name in the Arabian Peninsula for huts woven from date palm leaves. At night, the leaves absorb excess dampness, and during the day they gradually dry out, moistening the hot air.

Barabora

Barabora is a capacious semi-dugout of the Aleuts, the indigenous population of the Aleutian Islands. The frame was made of whale bones and snags thrown ashore. The roof was insulated with grass, turf and skins. A hole was left in the roof for entry and lighting, from where they descended inside along a log with steps carved into it. Barabors were built on the hills near the coast, so that it was convenient to observe sea animals and the approach of enemies.

Bordei

Bordei is a traditional semi-dugout in Romania and Moldova, covered with a thick layer of straw or reed. Such a dwelling saved from significant temperature fluctuations during the day, as well as from strong winds. There was a hearth on the clay floor, but the bordey was heated in black: the smoke came out through a small door. This is one of the oldest types of housing in this part of Europe.

Bahareke

Bajareque is the hut of the Indians of Guatemala. The walls are made of poles and branches covered with clay. The roof is made of dry grass or straw, the floor is made of rammed soil. Bahareke are resistant to strong earthquakes that occur in Central America.

Burama

Burama is the temporary dwelling of the Bashkirs. The walls were made of logs and branches and had no windows. The gable roof was covered with bark. The earthen floor was covered with grass, branches and leaves. Inside, bunks were built from boards and a hearth with a wide chimney.

Valcaran

Valkaran (“house of whale jaws” in Chukchi) is a dwelling near the peoples of the coast of the Bering Sea (Eskimos, Aleuts and Chukchi). Semi-dugout with a frame made of large whale bones, covered with earth and turf. It had two entrances: summer - through a hole in the roof, winter - through a long semi-underground corridor.

Vardo

Vardo is a gypsy wagon, a real one-room mobile home. It has a door and windows, an oven for cooking and heating, a bed, boxes for things. Behind, under the tailgate, there is a box for storing kitchen utensils. Below, between the wheels - luggage, removable steps and even a chicken coop! The whole wagon is light enough that one horse could carry it. Vardo was finished with skillful carvings and painted with bright colors. The heyday of vardo came at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century.

Vezha

Vezha - an old winter dwelling of the Sami, the indigenous Finno-Ugric people Northern Europe. The vezha was made of logs in the form of a pyramid with a smoke hole at the top. The skeleton of the vezha was covered with deer skins, and bark, brushwood and turf were laid on top and pressed down with birch poles for strength. A stone hearth was arranged in the center of the dwelling. The floor was covered with deer skins. Nearby they put "nili" - a shed on poles. By the beginning of the 20th century, many Saami living in Russia had already built huts for themselves and called them the Russian word "house".

wigwam

Tepee is the common name for the dwelling of the forest Indians of North America. Most often it is a dome-shaped hut with a hole for smoke to escape. The frame of the wigwam was made from curved thin trunks and covered with bark, reed mats, skins or pieces of cloth. Outside, the coating was additionally pressed with poles. Teepees can be either round in plan or elongated and have several smoke holes (such designs are called "long houses"). Wigwams are often erroneously called the cone-shaped dwellings of the Indians of the Great Plains - "teepee" (remember, for example, the "folk art" of Sharik from the cartoon "Winter in Prostokvashino").

Wikipedia

Wikiap is the dwelling of the Apaches and some other Indian tribes of the Southwestern United States and California. A small, crude hut covered with twigs, shrubs, thatch, or mats, often with additional pieces of cloth and blankets thrown over the top. A kind of wigwam.

sod house

The sod house has been a traditional building in Iceland since the days of the Vikings. Its design was determined by the harsh climate and the scarcity of wood. Large flat stones were laid out on the site of the future house. A wooden frame was placed on them, which was covered with turf in several layers. In one half of such a house they lived, in the other they kept livestock.

diaolou

Diaolou is a fortified high-rise building in Guangdong province in southern China. The first diaolou were built during the Ming Dynasty, when gangs of robbers were operating in southern China. In later and relatively safe times, such fortress houses were built simply following tradition.

Dugout

The dugout is one of the oldest and widespread types of insulated housing. In a number of countries, peasants lived mainly in dugouts until the late Middle Ages. A hole dug in the ground was covered with poles or logs, which were covered with earth. There was a hearth inside, and bunk beds along the walls.

igloo

An igloo is a domed Eskimo hut made of blocks of dense snow. The floor and sometimes the walls were covered with skins. To enter, a tunnel was dug in the snow. If the snow was shallow, the entrance was arranged in the wall, to which an additional corridor of snow blocks was completed. Light enters the room directly through the snowy walls, although they also made windows covered with seal guts or ice floes. Often several igloos were connected by long snowy corridors.

Izba

Izba is a log house in the forest zone of Russia. Until the 10th century, the hut looked like a semi-dugout, completed with several rows of logs. There was no door, the entrance was covered with logs and canopy. In the depths of the hut there was a hearth made of stones. The hut was heated in black. People slept on bedding on an earthen floor in the same room as the cattle. Over the centuries, the hut acquired a stove, a hole on the roof for smoke to escape, and then a chimney. Holes appeared in the walls - windows that were covered with mica plates or a bull's bladder. Over time, they began to block the hut into two parts: the upper room and the canopy. This is how the “five-wall” hut appeared.

North Russian hut

The hut in the Russian North was built on two floors. The upper floor is residential, the lower (“basement”) is economic. Servants, children, yard workers lived in the basement, there were also rooms for livestock and storage of supplies. The basement was built with blank walls, without windows and doors. An external staircase led directly to the second floor. This saved us from being covered with snow: in the North there are snowdrifts of several meters! A covered courtyard was attached to such a hut. Long cold winters forced to combine residential and outbuildings into a single whole.

Ikukwane

Ikukwane - a large domed thatched house of the Zulus ( South Africa). It was built from long thin rods, tall grass, reeds. All this was intertwined and strengthened with ropes. The entrance to the hut was closed with a special shield. Travelers find that Ikukwane fits perfectly into the surrounding landscape.

Boar

Cabanya is a small hut of the indigenous population of Ecuador (a state in the north-west of South America). Its frame is woven from a vine, partially covered with clay and covered with straw. This name was also given to gazebos for recreation and technical needs, installed in resorts near beaches and pools.

Kava

Kava is a gable hut of the Orochi, an indigenous people of the Khabarovsk Territory (Russian Far East). The roof and side walls were covered with spruce bark, the smoke hole was covered with a special tire in bad weather. The entrance to the dwelling always turned to the river. The place for the hearth was covered with pebbles and fenced with wooden blocks, which were coated with clay from the inside. Wooden bunks were built along the walls.

Kazhim

Kazhim is a large community house of the Eskimos, designed for several dozen people and many years of service. At the place chosen for the house, they dug a rectangular hole, at the corners of which high thick logs were installed (the Eskimos do not have local wood, so the trees thrown ashore by the surf were used). Further, walls and a roof were erected in the form of a pyramid - from logs or whale bones. A frame covered with a transparent bubble was inserted into the hole left in the middle. The entire building was covered with earth. The roof was supported by pillars, as well as bench-beds installed along the walls in several tiers. The floor was covered with boards and mats. A narrow underground corridor was dug to enter.

Cajun

Kazhun is a stone structure traditional for Istria (a peninsula in the Adriatic Sea, in the northern part of Croatia). Cylindrical cajun with a conical roof. No windows. The construction was carried out using the dry laying method (without the use of a binding solution). Initially served as a dwelling, but later began to play the role of an outbuilding.

Karamo

Karamo is a dugout of the Selkups, hunters and fishermen of the north of Western Siberia. A hole was dug at the steep bank of the river, four pillars were placed at the corners and log walls were made. The roof, also made of logs, was covered with earth. An entrance was dug from the side of the water and disguised by coastal vegetation. To prevent the dugout from flooding, the floor was made gradually rising from the entrance. It was possible to get into the dwelling only by boat, and the boat was also dragged inside. Because of such peculiar houses, the Selkups were called "earth people".

Klochan

Klochan is a domed stone hut common in the southwest of Ireland. Very thick, up to one and a half meters, the walls were laid out "dry", without a binder solution. Narrow gaps were left - windows, an entrance and a chimney. Such uncomplicated huts were built for themselves by monks leading an ascetic lifestyle, so one should not expect much comfort inside.

Kolyba

Kolyba is a summer residence of shepherds and lumberjacks, common in the mountainous regions of the Carpathians. This is a log cabin without windows with a gable roof, covered with shingles (flat chips). Along the walls there are wooden benches and shelves for things, the floor is earthen. In the middle is a hearth, the smoke comes out through a hole in the roof.

Konak

Konak is a two- or three-storey stone house found in Turkey, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Romania. The building, in plan resembling the letter "G", is covered with a massive tiled roof, creating a deep shadow. Each bedroom has a covered projecting balcony and a steam room. A large number of various premises satisfies all the needs of the owners, so there is no need for buildings in the yard.

Kuvaksa

Kuvaksa is a portable dwelling of the Saami during the spring-summer migrations. It has a cone-shaped frame of several poles connected by the tops, on which a cover made of deer skins, birch bark or canvas was pulled. A hearth was set up in the center. The kuwaxa is a type of plague, and also resembles the tipi of the North American Indians, but is somewhat stockier.

Kula

Kula is a fortified stone tower of two or three floors with strong walls and small loophole windows. Kulas can be found in the mountainous regions of Albania. The tradition of building such houses-fortresses is very ancient and also exists in the Caucasus, Sardinia, Corsica and Ireland.

Kuren

Kuren (from the word "smoke", which means "to smoke") - the dwelling of the Cossacks, "free troops" of the Russian kingdom in the lower reaches of the Dnieper, Don, Yaik, Volga. The first Cossack settlements arose in floodplains (river reed thickets). The houses stood on piles, the walls were made of wattle, filled with earth and plastered with clay, the roof was reed with a hole for smoke to escape. The features of these first Cossack dwellings can be traced in modern kurens.

Lepa-lepa

Lepa-lepa is the boat-house of the Bajao, the people of Southeast Asia. The Bajao, "Sea Gypsies," as they are called, spend their entire lives in boats in the Pacific's Coral Triangle, between Borneo, the Philippines, and the Solomon Islands. In one part of the boat they prepare food and store gear, and in the other they sleep. They go on land only to sell fish, buy rice, water and fishing gear, and bury the dead.

Mázanka

Mázanka is a practical rural house of the steppe and forest-steppe Ukraine. The hut got its name from vintage technology buildings: a frame made of branches, insulated with a reed layer, was abundantly coated with clay mixed with straw. The walls were regularly whitewashed inside and out, which gave the house an elegant look. The four-pitched thatched roof had large overhangs so that the walls would not get wet in the rain.

Minka

Minka is the traditional dwelling of Japanese peasants, artisans and merchants. Minka was built from readily available materials: bamboo, clay, grass and straw. Instead of internal walls, sliding partitions or screens were used. This allowed the inhabitants of the house to change the location of the rooms at their discretion. The roofs were made very high so that the snow and rain immediately rolled off, and the straw did not have time to get wet.

Odag

Odag is the wedding hut of the Shors, a people living in the southeastern part of Western Siberia. Nine thin young birches with foliage were tied from above and covered with birch bark. The groom kindled a fire inside the hut with a flint and flint. The young remained in the odage for three days, after which they moved to a permanent home.

Pallazo

Pallazo is a type of dwelling in Galicia (northwest of the Iberian Peninsula). A stone wall was laid out in a circle with a diameter of 10-20 meters, leaving openings for the front door and small windows. A cone-shaped straw roof was placed on top of a wooden frame. Sometimes two rooms were arranged in large pallazos: one for living, the second for livestock. Pallazos were used as housing in Galicia until the 1970s.

Palheiro

Palheiro is a traditional farmer's house in the village of Santana in the east of Madeira. This is a small stone building with a sloping thatched roof to the ground. The houses are painted white, red and blue. Palera began to build the first colonizers of the island.

Cave

The cave is probably the most ancient natural refuge of man. In soft rocks (limestone, loess, tuff), people have long cut down artificial caves, where they equipped comfortable dwellings, sometimes entire cave cities. Yes, in cave city Eski-Kermen in the Crimea (pictured) rooms carved into the rock have hearths, chimneys, “beds”, niches for dishes and other things, water tanks, windows and doorways with traces of hinges.

Kitchen

The kitchen is the summer dwelling of Kamchadals, the people of the Kamchatka Territory, the Magadan Region and Chukotka. To protect themselves from water level drops, dwellings (like a plague) were built on high piles. Logs thrown ashore by the sea were used. The hearth was placed on a pile of pebbles. The smoke escaped through a hole in the middle of the sharp roof. Under the roof, multi-tiered poles were made for drying fish. Povarni can still be seen on the shores of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk.

pueblo

Pueblo - the ancient settlements of the Pueblo Indians, a group of Indian peoples of the Southwest of the modern USA. A closed structure built of sandstone or raw brick, in the form of a fortress. The living quarters had ledges of several floors - so that the roof of the lower floor was a courtyard for the upper one. They climbed to the upper floors by ladders through holes in the roofs. In some pueblos, for example, in Taos Pueblo (a settlement of a thousand years ago), the Indians still live.

pueblito

Pueblito is a small fortified house in the northwest of the US state of New Mexico. 300 years ago they were built, as expected, by the Navajo and Pueblo tribes, who were defending themselves from the Spaniards, as well as from the Ute and Comanche tribes. The walls are made of boulders and cobblestones and held together with clay. The interiors are also covered with clay plaster. The ceilings are made of pine or juniper beams, over which rods are laid. The pueblitos were located in high places within sight of each other to allow long-distance communication.

Riga

Riga (“residential riga”) is a log house of Estonian peasants with a high thatched or thatched roof. Hay was lived and dried in the central room, heated in black. In the adjacent room (it was called "threshing floor") they threshed and winnowed grain, stored tools and hay, and kept livestock in winter. There were still unheated rooms ("chambers"), which were used as pantries, and in warm weather as living quarters.

Rondavel

Rondavel - the round house of the Bántu peoples (southern Africa). The walls were made of stone. The cementing composition consisted of sand, earth and manure. The roof was poles made of branches, to which bundles of reeds were tied with grassy ropes.

Saklya

Sáklya is the home of the inhabitants of the mountainous areas of the Caucasus and Crimea. Usually it is a house made of stone, clay or raw brick with a flat roof and narrow windows that look like loopholes. If the sakli were located one below the other on the mountainside, the roof of the lower house could easily serve as a courtyard for the upper one. The beams of the frame were made protruding to equip cozy canopies. However, any small hut with a thatched roof can be called a sakley here.

Seneca

Senek is a “log yurt” of the Shors, the people of the southeastern part of Western Siberia. The gable roof was covered with birch bark, which was fastened on top with half-logs. The hearth was in the form of a clay pit opposite the front door. A wooden hook with a bowler hat was hung over the hearth on a transverse pole. Smoke escaped through a hole in the roof.

Tipi

Tipi is a portable dwelling of the nomadic Indians of the Great Plains of America. Tipi has the shape of a cone up to eight meters high. The frame is assembled from poles (pine - in the northern and central plains and from juniper - in the south). The tire is sewn from bison skin or canvas. Leave a smoke hole at the top. Two smoke valves regulate the smoke draft of the hearth with the help of special poles. In case of strong wind, the tipi is tied to a special peg with a belt. Teepee should not be confused with wigwam.

Tokul

Tokul is a round thatched hut of the inhabitants of Sudan (East Africa). The load-bearing parts of the walls and the conical roof are made from long trunks of mimosa. Then hoops of flexible branches are put on them and covered with straw.

Tulow

Tulou is a fortress house in the provinces of Fujian and Guangdong (China). A foundation was laid out of stones in a circle or square (which made it difficult for the enemies to dig during the siege) and the lower part of the wall was built about two meters thick. Above, the wall was completed from a mixture of clay, sand and lime, which hardened in the sun. Narrow openings for loopholes were left on the upper floors. Inside the fortress there were living quarters, a well, large containers for food. In one tulou, 500 people representing one clan could live.

Trullo

Trullo is an original house with a conical roof in the Italian region of Apulia. Trullo walls are very thick, so it is cool in hot weather and not so cold in winter. The trullo is a two-tiered one, the second floor was reached by a ladder. Trulli often had several cone roofs, each with a separate room.

Tueji

Tueji is the summer home of the Udege, Orochi and Nanais, the indigenous peoples of the Far East. A gable roof covered with birch bark or cedar bark was installed over the dug pit. The sides were covered with earth. Inside, the tueji is divided into three parts: female, male and central, in which the hearth was located. Above the hearth, a platform of thin poles was installed for drying and smoking fish and meat, and a cauldron was hung for cooking.

Urasá

Urasá - the summer dwelling of the Yakuts, a cone-shaped hut made of poles, covered with birch bark. Long, poles, placed in a circle, were fastened from above with a wooden hoop. From the inside, the frame was stained reddish-brown with a decoction of alder bark. The door was made in the form of a birch bark curtain, decorated with folk patterns. For strength, the birch bark was boiled in water, then the upper layer was scraped off with a knife and sewn into strips with a thin hair cord. Inside, bunks were built along the walls. There was a hearth in the middle on the earthen floor.

Fale

Fale is a hut of the inhabitants of the island nation of Samóa (South Pacific Ocean). A gable roof made of coconut palm leaves is mounted on wooden poles arranged in a circle or oval. Distinctive feature fale - the absence of walls. The openings between the pillars, if necessary, are hung with mats. The wooden elements of the structure are connected with ropes woven from the threads of coconut husks.

Fanza

Fanza is a type of rural dwelling in Northeast China and Far East Russia among indigenous peoples. Rectangular building on a frame of pillars supporting a gable thatched roof. The walls were made of straw mixed with clay. Fanza had an ingenious space heating system. A chimney ran from the earthen hearth along the entire wall at floor level. The smoke, before going out into a long chimney built outside the fanza, heated the wide bunks. Hot coals from the hearth were poured onto a special elevation and used to heat water and dry clothes.

felij

Felij - the tent of the Bedouins, Arab nomads. The frame of long poles intertwined with each other is covered with a cloth woven from camel, goat or sheep wool. This fabric is so dense that it does not let rain through. During the day, the awning is raised so that the dwelling is ventilated, and at night or in strong winds, they are lowered. The felij is divided into male and female halves by a patterned fabric curtain. Each half has its own hearth. The floor is covered with mats.

Hanok

Hanok is a traditional Korean house with clay walls and a thatched or tiled roof. Its peculiarity is the heating system: pipes are laid under the floor, through which hot air from the hearth spreads throughout the house. The ideal place for hanok is this: behind the house there is a hill, and in front of the house a stream flows.

Hut

Khata is the traditional home of Ukrainians, Belarusians, southern Russians and part of the Poles. The roof, unlike the Russian hut, was made four-pitched: thatched or reed. The walls were built from half-logs, smeared with a mixture of clay, horse manure and straw, and whitewashed - both outside and inside. Shutters were made on the windows. Around the house there was a mound (a wide shop filled with clay), protecting the lower part of the wall from getting wet. The hut was divided into two parts: residential and household, separated by a passage.

Hogan

Hogan is an ancient home of the Navajo Indians, one of the largest Indian peoples in North America. A frame of poles placed at an angle of 45° to the ground was intertwined with branches and thickly coated with clay. Often, a "hallway" was attached to this simple design. The entrance was covered with a blanket. After the first railroad passed through the territory of the Navajo, the design of the hogan changed: the Indians found it very convenient to build their houses from sleepers.

Chum

Chum is the common name for a conical hut made of poles covered with birch bark, felt or reindeer skins. This form of dwelling is common throughout Siberia - from the Ural Mountains to the shores of the Pacific Ocean, among the Finno-Ugric, Turkic and Mongolian peoples.

Shabono

Shabono is a collective dwelling of the Yanomámo Indians, lost in the Amazon rainforest on the border of Venezuela and Brazil. A large family (from 50 to 400 people) chooses a suitable clearing in the depths of the jungle and encloses it with pillars, to which a long roof of leaves is attached. Inside such a kind of hedge remains open space for chores and rituals.

hut

Shelash is the common name for the simplest shelter from the weather from any materials at hand: sticks, branches, grass, etc. It was probably the first man-made shelter of an ancient person. In any case, some animals, in particular, great apes, create something similar.

Chalet

Chale ("shepherd's hut") - a small rural house in the "Swiss style" in the Alps. One of the signs of a chalet is strongly protruding cornice overhangs. The walls are wooden, their lower part can be plastered or lined with stone.

marquee

A tent is a general name for a temporary light building made of fabric, leather or skins stretched on stakes and ropes. Since ancient times, tents have been used by eastern nomadic peoples. The tent (under various names) is often mentioned in the Bible.

Yurt

Yurt is the common name for a portable frame dwelling with felt covering among Turkic and Mongolian nomads. A classic yurt is easily assembled and disassembled by one family within a few hours. It is transported on a camel or horse, its felt cover protects well from temperature changes, does not let rain or wind through. Dwellings of this type are so ancient that they are recognized even in rock paintings. Yurts in a number of areas are successfully used today.

Yaodong

Yaodong is the home-cave of the Loess Plateau in the northern provinces of China. Loess is a soft, easy-to-work rock. Local residents discovered this long ago and from time immemorial dug out their dwellings right in the hillside. Inside such a house is comfortable in any weather.

Yaranga

Yaranga is a portable dwelling of some peoples of the north-east of Siberia: Chukchi, Koryaks, Evens, Yukaghirs. First, tripods of poles are set in a circle and fixed with stones. The inclined poles of the side wall are tied to the tripods. The frame of the dome is attached from above. The whole structure is covered with deer or walrus skins. Two or three poles are placed in the middle in order to support the ceiling. Yaranga is divided by canopies into several rooms. Sometimes a small “house” covered with skins is placed inside the yaranga.

We thank the Department of Education of the Administration of the Kirovsky District of St. Petersburg and everyone who selflessly helps in distributing our wall newspapers. Our sincere thanks to the wonderful photographers who kindly allowed us to use their photos in this issue. These are Mikhail Krasikov, Evgeny Golomolzin and Sergey Sharov. Many thanks to Lyudmila Semyonovna Grek for prompt consultations. Please send your comments and suggestions to: [email protected]

Dear friends, thank you for being with us!

We decided to talk about the Indians, their dwellings, customs, culture. Read informative articles on the pages of Vamvigvam. After all, if you and I love wigwams so much, then we should know everything about them!

The word "Teepee", as a rule, refers to the portable dwelling of nomadic tribes of indigenous Indians who lived on the territory of the Great Plains. However, in the language of the Sioux Indian people, the word "teepee" means absolutely any dwelling, and this type of tent is called w.i. This type of tent, like a tipi, was also used by many other tribes living in the Far West, as well as settled tribes from the South-West of the country. In some cases tipis were built in parts of the country with a lot of forests. AT modern world tipi is often erroneously called a wigwam.

Tipi is a cone, the height of which can be from 4 to 8 meters. The diameter of the dwelling at the base is from 3 to 6 meters. Traditionally, the tipi frame is assembled from long wooden poles. The main material used is the wood of coniferous trees, such as pine and juniper, depending on the time of residence of the tribe in which the tipi is built. The tipi covering, which is called a tire, was previously sewn from rawhide of animals, most often from the skin of bison. In order to make one tipi, it took from 10 to 40 animal skins, depending on the size of the dwelling.

A little later, when trade with other continents began to develop, the Indians began to use lighter material - canvas - to create tips. But both materials have their drawbacks - the fabric is flammable, and dogs really like to gnaw on the skin. Therefore, the Indians decided to change the design and combine the coating: the upper part is made of animal skin, and the lower part is made of fabric. The materials are fastened with wooden sticks, and the bottom is tied to special pegs that were driven into the ground, leaving a small gap for air circulation inside the structure.

In the upper part of the structure there is a smoke hole, which has two blades that act as smoke plugs. Thanks to these blades, the draft of smoke inside the tipi is regulated. To control these blades, either special belts or poles are used, which made it possible to stretch the valves at the lower corners. Among the Canadian Indians of the Chippewa tribe, for example, these valves were not sewn to the cover itself, so they could be rotated as you like.

Also, due to its design, the tipi can be connected to the most ordinary tent and to other tips. This results in additional space. From the junction of the main poles inside the tipi, a special belt is lowered to the ground. It is tied to pegs in the middle of the tipi and acts as an anchor to keep the tipi from collapsing due to strong winds or other bad weather. Also, an additional lining is often sewn on the bottom of the tipi, which creates more comfort. During rain, a special round ceiling can also be stretched. However, the Indians from Missouri, when it rained, put leather boats on the upper ends of the poles as an umbrella.

Each tribe has its own special tipi design, and among themselves they differ in the number of main support poles, the order in which they are connected, the shape of the tipi itself, the method of cutting cloth and skin, as well as the shape of the smoke valves and the way they are connected to the poles.

Tipi is an integral part of Indian life. The main advantage of this design is its mobility, as the tipi can be transported unassembled. Before the colonial Indians appeared on the lands, tipis were transported manually, but after the advent of horses, it became possible to transport tipis with their help. At the same time, it became possible to significantly increase the size of the structure, and sometimes the diameter of the base reached 7 meters.

Traditionally, the Indians put tipis with the entrance to the east, but this rule can be neglected when the tents are in a circle. Due to the slight slope, which is provided by the design of some types of tips, tents can withstand fairly strong winds. Also, the tipi is quickly disassembled and assembled. It is thanks to these factors that this design has become very popular among the Indians.

At present, tipis are used mainly by Indian conservatives, as well as reenactors and Indianists. In many places in the US, you can buy a tourist tent with this name, which is similar in design to a tipi.

Teepee plays huge role and Indian culture. For example, the location of the tipi with the entrance to the east is due to the fact that the Indians must first of all thank the sun for the coming day in the morning. The tipi design uses a circle - the sacred symbol of the Indians, which also plays a rather large role, since the circle in Indian culture can mean anything, from rising sun to the seasonal migrations of bison.

All parts of the tipi design symbolize something: for example, the floor symbolizes the earth, which can play the role of an altar. The walls are the sky, and the poles that act as a frame are the paths that lead from the earth to the world of spirits.


Despite such a small tipi, families lived in them quite comfortably, as they observed their own unique etiquette. According to this etiquette, the men were located in the northern part of the tent, and the women, respectively, in the south. You can only walk inside the structure in a clockwise direction. Guests entering the tent for the first time could only be in the women's section of the tipi.

Walking between the central hearth and the person who stands in front of it was also considered shameful, because the Indians believed that this could interfere with people's communication with the hearth. In order to sit down in his place, a person had to pass behind the backs of those sitting. Some tribes believed that only the male owner of the tipi could enter behind the altar.


Most of the dwellings in the Indian camps, as a rule, were not painted. Those units that were somehow decorated were designed according to the traditions of the tribe, and often the paintings on them were traditionally stylized images of natural phenomena and representatives of the fauna.

The most common motif of the drawing was the following: a pattern representing the earth was launched along the lower edge of the tent, and a heavenly pattern, respectively, along the upper edge. In some cases, the drawings on the tipi were also of a historical nature: for example, it could be a story that happened on a hunt with the owner of the dwelling. The Indians paid quite a lot of attention to their dreams, the images of which were sometimes also depicted on the tipi cover.


The choice of colors was not rich, so some of them had a double meaning. For example, red could mean both fire and earth, while yellow could mean both lightning and stone. White flowers denoted water and air. The sky was painted in blue or black.

Tipis were decorated not only with drawings, but also with all kinds of medallions and amulets, which were made by hand in accordance with the traditions of the tribe. All sorts of trophies obtained during the hunt were also used, and a little later, women began to decorate tips with the help of beadwork.

In the next article we will talk about Indian wigwams. And you can choose a handmade tipi for your child.