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How to Make an Indian Longhouse for a School Project

The Iroquois Indians, as well as other Indian tribes and people of Asia and Europe, created a host of dwelling structures for security and rest. Among them was the longhouse, or long communal hut built to house 20 or more families. The longhouse was created of wood, twigs and plants and had an arch-shaped structure as its roof. During the winter, builders of the longhouse would cover the roof with animal skin to keep the inside of the structure warm. Building an Indian longhouse for a school project is a fun and relatively easy task to complete.

12-by-12 brown construction paper
12-by-12 green construction paper
Shoebox
Scissors
Glue
Twigs
Grass

Instructions

- 1
  Use a brown shoebox to replicate the look of the original longhouse.
- 2
  Cut a piece of brown construction paper so that the length of the paper is equivalent to the length of the shoe box.
- 3
  Tape the two long sides of the construction paper onto the long sides of the shoe box so that a semi-circle appears above the shoebox. Do not fold the construction paper or make it flat. Tape it in such a way that the paper forms an arch.
- 4
  Cut equidistant slits in the brown construction paper, about 2 inches long and 1/2 inch thick. Leave approximately 3 inches in between each slit.
- 5
  Cut strips of green construction paper 4 inches long and 2 inches wide.
- 6
  Weave the green strips through the slits in an over and under motion by placing your hand inside the opening of the arch or tunnel that was created. The two short sides of the shoe box should be open, as the arch is only covering the length of the shoebox.
- 7
  Glue grass and twigs to the top of the longhouse as desired.

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