Woodland Indian Architecture

 

Over the last twelve years we have built over twenty traditional houses  of various styles for museums, Native community organizations and interpretive sites across the Great Lakes and Midwest, in addition to a few we have built for ourselves to stay in.  Our passion for traditional materials and methods, perfection and attention to detail is apparent in all of our work.  We have built both Northern and Southern Neshnabe waginogenen (domed houses), using elm bark, cedar bark and birch apekwe’ roofing rolls, as well as pekye’genen (winter mat houses) covered with double layer sewn cattail leaf mats.  We have also reconstructed a variety of houses from archaeological features including a Mississipian period wattle and daub thatched house.

Reconstruction of Historic Native Structures


We can build a traditional house at your site outdoors or inside of a museum exhibit.  Construction can also be incorporated with a series of workshops on the various stages and techniques of wigwam building.



watch a slideshow of building a wigwam...

 
Cattail Mat Workshop


We offer a day long workshop on the manufacture of double layer cattail leaf mats used for covering old time winter houses.  These are sewn with a long needle made from a rib bone of a buffalo, moose or elk.



watch a slideshow of building a cattail mat covered wigwam...

 
Our Traveling Bark House


We also have a fully sized 16’ diameter Nswe’ogen (cone shaped house), that we can bring to your site for workshops and special events.  It can be outfitted for display with floor mats and other interior furnishings.



learn more about our traveling bark house....