Rediscovering the Wigwam

I’d love to see the wigwam make a reappearance as an art and a habitation, and if that goes through, to live in one myself. That is, a skillfully made one, rather than a shanty covered in half-rotten bits of bark. There are so many arts and skills to the structure—the weaving of rush and cattail mats, the proper harvest of birch bark, etc. that are in decline these days.

It also seems a well suited habitation for the Northeastern climate, apparently warmer than Euro-American houses in the day (which, of course, ended up as the standard). They are more sustainable, using abundant natural materials, such as cattail, birch bark, saplings, and small diameter wood, thus less deforestation—whereas the Euro-American style uses large-diameter wood for boards, beams, and so on—not to mention roofing material. And no plastic, either.

There will inevitably be the temptation to “improve” architectural styles like this by lumping on some newer technology like rocket mass heaters and so on, but it might be wise to hold back and consider the situation in its entirety. One of the advantages of the wigwam is that the coverings can be taken off and the whole house relocated in a short period of time. In this age of rigidity, with its fixed field agriculture, taxation, and private property, it seems kind of ridiculous, but who knows how it will be in the future—however we will decide to live then. I’d suppose that should permaculture become common knowledge, we might begin to transform in unexpected ways.

That isn’t to say that there is nothing to “adapt”, just that it is good to have respect for the original architecture and cultural context. Adaptations might be something like rocket mass heaters, or even replacing the traditional cattail and rush mats with alternatives of phragmites, or even matting with wheat straw bundles, considering the decline of wetlands. Invasive tree bark for roofing? Sod on top, to borrow a Scandinavian technique? Or radiant heated floors, or raised wattle and daub walls? In the end, the limitation is the approval of Mother Nature.

Have you seen anyone revitalizing these arts, or living long-term in a well-made wigwam or similar? And what do you think about the circular structure? I have a feeling a lot of people used to houses with corners might be a little uncomfortable.

Interesting topic. Back in the 80’s I knew a gentleman who lived in a hogan in northern MN.  He drove a sand point in the ground inside the structure so water was available without going outside.   The heat source was a very non traditional barrel stove.

Ahh very refreshing post, just what I needed this morning as I sip coffee starting a fire in my little shed at 29°F. I neglected to last night becausd, well - I was tired and have a 0° sleeping bag :)

Tough balancing act to live "right" by my moral values vs. just trying to maintain relative comfort and efficient function throughout the day. Often I reflect on paying homage to the native ancestors of this land I call home, and I just want to thank you for the added inspiration to stay positive in the spiritual quest of connecting ourselves to pathways of eco-synergistics rather than clear cutting and burning bridges. All the power is within us, we have a choice!

I hope to learn more about appropriate shelter technology thru threads like this, so far I've been doing things rather conventional, just in a tiny, off-grid(ish) way. Always room for improvement and learning!