Inhabiting the area presently known as upstate New York throughout the 1700s, the Iroquois tribe was grouped in stockade communities centered around structures known as longhouses. As their name suggests, these rectangular, bark-covered structures varied in length from 40 to 400 feet and acted as the center for daily life. The Iroquois cooked over indoor fires, vented through holes in the roof, and even slept alongside the walls. Building a model of this essential Iroquois structure is an easy way to learn about both the tribe's architecture and lifestyle.
- 12-inch-by-14-inch brown tag board
- 7-inch-by-12-inch brown tag board
- 2 brown tag boards, 6-inch-by-7-inch
- 8 strips of brown crepe paper, 2-inch-by-12-inch
- Scissors
- Glue
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Instructions
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1
Fold up the long sides of the 7-inch-by-12-inch tag board by 1/2 inch, then set it on a flat surface to form the base.
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2
Squeeze glue along the outside of the folded edges.
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3
Bend the 12-inch-by-14-inch tag board into a half circle, then put the edges flush against the glued folds on the base. This will create the roof of your longhouse.
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4
Cut both 6-inch-by-7-inch tag boards with the scissors so they fit against the domed ends of your longhouse walls with 1/2 inch of overlap. Cut the overlapping portion into 1-inch flaps.
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5
Fold the flaps back and glue them to the inside of the longhouse roof and walls.
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6
Glue crepe paper all over the outside of the walls and roof to represent the bark.