Earthlodges
Earthlodges are traditional circular, dome-shaped structures that were primarily used by several Native American cultures on the Great Plains, emerging around 700 CE. These dwellings were constructed by semi-nomadic villagers, including the Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara, Pawnee, Omaha, Oto, and Ponca, who built their communities near rivers, such as the Missouri. Earthlodges feature a unique design, with a framework of central posts and cross beams covered by layers of natural materials, including willow branches, grass, and sod, topped with a final coat of earth. Typically measuring between 11 to 13 feet in height and 40 to 50 feet in diameter, these structures were not only practical but also culturally significant, often reflecting the labor and ownership of women within these communities.
Interior arrangements included designated sacred spaces, platform beds, and storage areas, with a central fireplace serving as the heart of the home. Although earthlodges had a lifespan of about seven to ten years, they played a central role in the daily lives of their inhabitants, particularly as primary residences, while tipis were used during buffalo hunts in the summer. The construction and use of earthlodges are a testament to the ingenuity and adaptability of the cultures that created them, representing a rich historical legacy on the Plains.
Earthlodges
Tribes affected: Plains tribes
Significance: Earthlodges were among the earliest forms of shelter devised by cultures living on the Plains
Earthlodges are circular dome-shaped structures roofed by earth and entered by a covered passageway. Earthlodges appeared around 700 c.e., housing the earliest farm cultures on the Plains. Semi-nomadic villagers constructed earthlodges in three areas of the Plains. In the Dakotas the Mandan, Hidatsa, and later the Arikara erected villages along the Missouri River. The Pawnee built earthlodge villages in the central Plains of Kansas and Nebraska. To the northeast the Omaha, Oto, and Ponca also constructed earthlodges.
All these people built their lodges in similar fashion. Four or more central posts—usually cottonwood—were set in the ground and were connected by cross beams. A slanted sidewall of smaller posts marked the circumference. A wheel of roof rafters radiated from the central smoke hole and extended to the central posts. The walls and roof were covered alternately with layers of willow branches, grass thatching, a shingling of sod, and a final coat of wet earth that dried like plaster. The average earthlodge was 11 to 13 feet in height and 40 to 50 feet in diameter. Earthlodges lasted from seven to ten years and were the property of the women, who provided much of the labor in building.
Inside arrangements included a sacred area, platform beds along the wall, food platforms, a fencelike wooden fire screen, storage (cache) pits, and often a horse corral. The fireplace was in the center of the earthlodge, and an opening in the roof vented smoke. In the Upper Missouri a bullboat was inverted over the hole to shut out moisture and regulate downdrafts. When the people went on large summer buffalo hunts they utilized tipis; however, their primary residence was the earthlodge.