The Cherokee people lived in villages. They usually lived in groups of two hundred with around thirty to sixty houses per a village. The houses were big because they lived in big family groups. They lived in permanent houses because they weren't always on the move. They didn’t have to follow herds or move around because of seasons so they stayed in permanent houses. Those who lived in the Appalachian region built their villages in river valleys because the river valleys had fertile soil which was good for their farming. The villages were built near a river to give them easy access to water. The Cherokee people had two houses. One of the houses was for summer and the other one was for winter.
Opposite of the front door of both the winter and summer house, there was another house called the sweathouse. It was usually smaller than the normal house because lesser people lived there. The sweathouse was where sick people stayed to recover so they wouldn't spread the sickness to the rest of the family.
The summer houses looked kind of like our modern day cabins, but it was made out of mud, wood and clay. These were the resources that were available in their area. Logs were used for the frame. The area they lived in the areas where they had access to trees. The inside and outside were plastered with grass, so water wouldn’t get in. Summer houses were square shaped. They were usually one or two stories high with three bedrooms. The roof was made out of chestnut tree bark or wooden boards. Chestnut was a species that was generally available in their area along with evergreens, deciduous trees because they were mostly abundant in their areas. To make windows, they just made a square hole in the wall. In the middle of the house there was a flat hearth in the middle to bake cornbread. In the roof there was a small hole to let the smoke out. One side of the house was for possessions and the other side was for living. On the wall of the houses, the people hung weapons so for protection.
Opposite of the front door of both the winter and summer house, there was another house called the sweathouse. It was usually smaller than the normal house because lesser people lived there. The sweathouse was where sick people stayed to recover so they wouldn't spread the sickness to the rest of the family.
The summer houses looked kind of like our modern day cabins, but it was made out of mud, wood and clay. These were the resources that were available in their area. Logs were used for the frame. The area they lived in the areas where they had access to trees. The inside and outside were plastered with grass, so water wouldn’t get in. Summer houses were square shaped. They were usually one or two stories high with three bedrooms. The roof was made out of chestnut tree bark or wooden boards. Chestnut was a species that was generally available in their area along with evergreens, deciduous trees because they were mostly abundant in their areas. To make windows, they just made a square hole in the wall. In the middle of the house there was a flat hearth in the middle to bake cornbread. In the roof there was a small hole to let the smoke out. One side of the house was for possessions and the other side was for living. On the wall of the houses, the people hung weapons so for protection.
These are summer houses. They are not as big as usual Cherokee houses.
The winter house stood opposite of the summer house. The winter house was called an asi. It was dome shaped and partially underground to keep the house warm as possible. Dome shaped houses are very sturdy and living in them protected you from the harsh weathers. To build this house, fewer trees were needed, but the trees required had to be big. First, the builders had to out a couple strong posts into the ground. Large pieces of the heart of white oak were woven together from top to bottom. Inside the circle of posts, four large pine trunks were sunk really deep into the ground to form a rectangle. Above the rectangle, a couple long trunks were woven tightly with split saplings. Then the entire roof was covered with over seven inches with a mixture of withered grass and tough clay, so any precipitations wouldn't get in. Like the summer houses, these houses also had a fire in the center to let the people stay warm during the winter. Like the summer houses, people hung weapons on the wall for protection.
Every village has a large houses, or separate area that was for holding events, like dances, courts or holding councils.
Every village has a large houses, or separate area that was for holding events, like dances, courts or holding councils.
This is a small asi. It is partially underground.
This section done by Hansi.R