Native Homes

Thousands of years before the United States or Canada were countries, hundreds of groups of people lived throughout North America. These peoples were North America’s first, or indigenous, peoples. They are known as Native peoples, First Nations, original peoples, aboriginal peoples, Indians, and Native Americans, but they prefer to be called by the names of their nations, or groups. Each of the hundreds of Native nations in North America has its own language and culture.

Today, most Native people live in the same types of homes as those of other people. In the past, however, they built traditional homes, or lodges, that suited their surroundings and lifestyles and the climate of the areas in which they lived. Wherever they lived, Native people always built their homes from natural materials.

In cool, wooded areas such as the Northeast and Northwest, people built large permanent homes using tree trunks. In the Great Plains and Southwest, there was not much wood, so people made homes using grasses, mud, and stone. Some built basic wooden frames and covered them with animal hides. In warm, wet areas such as the Southeast, homes were often made without walls. The roofs were constructed of woven plants, which kept the dwellings dry while allowing air to circulate. Even in the Far North, where few plants grow, Native people found ways to make homes using whale bones, caribou hides, and blocks of snow.