August 22, 2008 

  lways interested in how people build houses all over the world, I was more than happy to have found this Native American pit house this morning. I did not go inside as I did not have permission from whomever owns it, but I took pictures of it as best as I could. The Shuswap and Carrier Aboriginal Nations occupied this area for more than 5,000 years before fortune-seeking prospectors arrived in this area and this is a type of house they build for thousands of years. The pithouse blended very well with the surroundings. The only reason I saw it was due to the notched log coming out of the roof. 

Picture Above: This is looking down into the pithouse from standing on the roof. The notched log to the lower left-hand corner is a stairway up and out of the pit. To the top of the photo, you can see two sleeping benches. 

Picture Below: A different angle. 

Picture Above: There is a 'double door' if you will. This is at the ground level and in the pictures above and below you can see the thickness of the 'walls'. This pit house would act much like a root cellar.  You can see how the pithouse blends well with the surroundings as it is made FROM the surroundings. This is a no-cost home. Just time and labour. 

Picture Below: A different angle looking through the door. See the fire pit in the middle of the house? It is directly under the 'hole' in the ceiling. This home would act much like a Mongol yurt would. 

 These pit houses are actually called kekuli. Usually, if you know what you are looking for, you can find old villages from the depressions where the houses used to be. The kekuli were residential for single family or larger groups, while some may have been storage only. Kekuli towns are typically located where solar exposure, water supply, and access to fish, game and gatherable foodstuffs are favorable. Up to thousands of people may have lived in each kekuli town. 

In their most elaborate form, a deep pit is covered by a dome made out of a log frame, then covered by earth. Usually the entrance is made either by a side hole, or a ladder via the fire hole in the top.

After I found the old native village, I then found the old townsite. It was almost like a living museum, the town even. It was half ghost town and there were maybe only 5 houses lived in. There was an old unused church and a interesting cemetery there as well. 

Picture Below: I found these guys motoring about on the water. I took their picture to send to a birder-acquaintance of mine to ID them. I saw wildlife everywhere on my travels near home today for my work.