This sounds like the "chickee" that the Seminole and other Florida tribes used, but I've never seen reference to this type of dwelling being used among the Choctaw. -----Original Message----- From: Dusty [SMTP:dustyc@microgear.net] Sent: Tuesday, April 10, 2001 9:18 AM To: CHAHTA-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [CHAHTA] Mississippi Choctaw Dwellings I've also seen reproductions of open-dwelling with just a raised floor and a thatched roof. dusty ----- Original Message ----- From: Dennis Boswell <dennisb@primenet.com> To: <CHAHTA-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, April 10, 2001 8:06 AM Subject: RE: [CHAHTA] Mississippi Choctaw Dwellings > Yakoke, Sean. BTW, among Choctaw families who had both summer and winter > cabins, was it the case that the two cabins would be in the same locale, or > in different geographic areas similar to those today who have a winter home > in Arizona and a summer home in a cooler locale? > > Your description of their different heating and cooling characteristics, > together with the limited geography occupied by the Choctaw, suggests to me > that a family may have built both types of "log cabin" next to each other? > > During what time frame do you understand this practice of having seasonal > homes started? > > > At 07:11 AM 04/10/2001 -0500, Sean P. S. George wrote: > >A couple of minor additions to Dusty's comments that I hope will also be > >useful... > > > >The main distinction between the Choctaw (and other indigenous southeastern > >tribes') dwellings and the colonial style "log cabins" most people know, is > >that the Choctaw didn't stack the logs on top of each other horizontally. > > Instead they stood them up vertically, with the bottom ends sunk into the > >ground. > > > >Also, it was not uncommon for them to have separate dwellings for different > >seasons. Summer cabins were larger, rectangular, with open-ended gables > >for ventilation, while winter cabins were smaller and circular to retain > >more heat. > > > >Finally, in swampy areas the palmetto hut was widely used as well. The > >frame was built from sturdy poles, and the palmetto fronds were tied to the > >frame in overlapping "shingle" fashion. > > > >An interesting sidenote is that when the people who had been used to > >building with palmetto started using cut lumber in the late 1800's and > >early 1900's, the would apparently fasten several shingles together into a > >palmetto-like arrangement before attaching it to the house frame. > > > >Most of the above info can be found in Swanton's books: "Indians of the > >Southeastern U.S." and "Source Material for the Social and Ceremonial Life > >of the Choctaw". There's a great picture of the palmetto hut, and I know a > >Houma guy who still knows how to build them the old way. > > > > > >--Sean > > > >-----Original Message----- > >From: Dusty [SMTP:dustyc@microgear.net] > >Sent: Monday, April 09, 2001 7:20 PM > >To: CHAHTA-L@rootsweb.com > >Subject: Re: [CHAHTA] Mississippi Choctaw Dwellings > > > >Dennis: > >The type of dwelling used down here on the Gulf Coast was called "wattle > >and > >daub", and was a combination of poles used to support the structure with > >interwoven sticks, twigs or branches used for the walls. Native clay used > >as mortar to hold the sticks together. Dwellings of this nature were still > >in use on occasion at the turn of the century, later evolving into the "log > >cabin" type structure seen more recently. > > > >In the extreme southern, swampy parts of La. and Miss., there is still in > >use today a structure similar to a small log cabin which is built on a raft > >made of cypress or pine logs lashed together. When the rains come in the > >spring and the Mississippi river rises causing flooding throughout the > >Atchafalaya Basin swamplands, these dwellings float up with the high > >water. > >They are still referred to by the Cajun people as "Choctaws", and are > >sometimes used as temporary hunting lodges. > > > >dusty > >----- Original Message ----- > >From: Dennis Boswell <dennisb@primenet.com> > >To: <CHAHTA-L@rootsweb.com> > >Sent: Monday, April 09, 2001 3:47 PM > >Subject: [CHAHTA] Mississippi Choctaw Dwellings > > > > > > > Halito, CHAHTA-L subscribers, > > > > > > This message concerns pre-removal Choctaw, not those living in IT > >following > > > removal. I make this distinction because my question (below) concerns > >only > > > those Choctaw living in Mississippi prior to and during removal. > > > > > > I understand they lived in log cabins resembling a Hogan (similar to > >those > > > used by Navajos with a hole in the roof to allow smoke to escape). An > > > example of a Hogan may be seen at, > > > > > > http://www.m-w.com/mw/art/hogan.htm > > > > > > In established villages, I have no doubt their dwellings resembled the > > > Hogan. However, there is a possibility that when they traveled to the > > > flood plains of the Yazoo and Mississippi Delta on hunting trips (as was > > > the custom in the fall after the harvest season), they may have used a > >more > > > transportable dwelling structure such as a tepee, a picture of which may > >be > > > seen at, > > > > > > http://www.m-w.com/mw/art/tepee.htm > > > > > > ... or a wigwam (similar to those used by ANs in the Great Lakes > >region).a > > > picture of which may be seen at, > > > > > > http://www.m-w.com/mw/art/wigwam.htm > > > > > > I have seen nothing that claims they ever used tepee- or wigwam-like > > > dwellings, even while traveling overland. In fact, it seems likely that > > > during overland travel and after arriving at their remote destination, > >they > > > may not have used any form of dwelling - portable or otherwise unless it > > > was built on the spot out of materials on hand at the location. One > >reason > > > they may not have taken their dwellings with them is the fact that > >Choctaws > > > hunted west of the Mississippi before removal. Crossing the Mississippi > > > while transporting any form of portable dwelling would make the crossing > > > task that much more difficult. > > > > > > Does anyone on the list have an opinion or know of a reference concerning > > > the use of dwellings, portable or otherwise, during extended periods of > > > travel away from the village? > > > > > > NOTE: (to myself) Might Choctaw use of Hogan-like structures indicate an > > > original west to east migration path that took Choctaw's ancestors > >through > > > Navajo lands en-route to Mississippi? > > > > > > Yakoke, > > > > > > Dennis K. Boswell > > > 301 Crow Canyon Drive > > > Folsom, CA 95630 > > > > > > Tel: (916) 987-3599 > > > Fax: (916) 987-3555 > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ==== CHAHTA Mailing List ==== > > > To subscribe to CHOCTAW-SOUTHEAST-L Genealogy mail list: > > > Send msg. to CHOCTAW-SOUTHEAST-L-request@rootsweb.com > > > Put "one" word in "body" of message:... "subscribe" without the quotes > > > Nothing in the subject line... Turn off signatures....... > > > > > > >______________________________ > > > > > >==== CHAHTA Mailing List ==== > >Need more CHOCTAW information?? Visit Judy White's pages at > >http://accessgenealogy.com/native for rolls, data, etc. > > > Regards, > > Dennis K. Boswell > 301 Crow Canyon Drive > Folsom, CA 95630 > > Tel: (916) 987-3599 > Fax: (916) 987-3555 > > > > > > > ==== CHAHTA Mailing List ==== > Got a GRIPE?? Got a PROBLEM?? Just wanna' WHINE? Don't post it to the list...write me, dusty (list administrator) at CHAHTA-L-admin@cultures.rootsweb.com > ______________________________