Yehakin
Traditional Native American longhouse
A yehakin (also spelled yihakan, meaning "house" in the Powhatan language) is a dwelling that was traditionally used by the Powhatan and Pamunkey Native American tribes of Virginia. It is a type of longhouse constructed from wooden frames and covered with reed mats or bark, forming a rounded roof. The 17th-century historian William Strachey thought since bark was harder to acquire, families of higher status likely owned the bark-covered houses. In summer, when the heat and humidity increased, the people could roll up or remove the mat walls for better air circulation. The yehakins were traditionally built by women.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Yehakin”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Jamestownsettlement.JPG by Nationalparks. Original uploader was Nationalparks at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.5
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