Villages and Buildings
The skilled craftsmen of the Woodland Period designed and built structures for many purposes. Their buildings were weather tight and snug during the winter months and could be made open and airy in the summer. Permanent settlements of multi-family houses were typically located near a river, stream or large spring.
Village Design
Larger towns might have 100 houses while smaller villages numbered from two to fifty homes. The houses in a village might be spread out over 100 acres. Usually each house had a nearby garden.
The two hand-colored pictures at left are copies of engravings by Theodor de Bry based on earlier drawings by John White.
In the "Village of Secoton", the artist chose to depict the houses and fields in a grid-like pattern. This stylized view allowed the artist to show many aspects of village life in a single image. The small hut in the corn field provided shelter for children whose job it was to guard the crops from animals.
In the "Village of Pomeiock," the open houses reveal raised platforms within. Notice the cupola-like roof on one of the buildings. The entire village is surrounded by a protective stockade.
The Long House
The Long House could be 100 feet long and twenty four feet wide. As many as twenty people could live in a large house. Doors were placed at either end of the home and the reed mats or bark sheets which covered the outside of the house could be removed to form windows. At the center was the fire pit with a hole in the roof above to vent the smoke. Larger houses might be partitioned with hanging mats. Low benches built along the interior wall provided a place to sit and sleep. Another style of house, the roundhouse, was dome-shaped and smaller - large enough for six to eight people.
Photo and transcription by Kevin Borland. Part of the "Woodland Indians of Arlington" exhibit at the Gulf Branch Nature Center. Photo of reproduction roundhouse from the Powhatan Village, Jamestown settlement, Virginia, photographer unknown. Similar photograph available (attribution required, non-commercial use only), courtesy of Bill Barber. Source of depicted Long House diagram unknown. Public domain electronic image of de Bry's "Village of Pomeiock" available at www.learnnc.org/lp/multimedia/6237. Public domain electronic image of de Bry's "Village of Secoton" available at www.learnnc.org/lp/multimedia/6276. Original John White watercolors on display at The Mariners' Museum, Newport News, VA. Source of background image unknown.
Villages and Buildings
The skilled craftsmen of the Woodland Period designed and built structures for many purposes. Their buildings were weather tight and snug during the winter months and could be made open and airy in the summer. Permanent settlements of multi-family houses were typically located near a river, stream or large spring.
Village Design
Larger towns might have 100 houses while smaller villages numbered from two to fifty homes. The houses in a village might be spread out over 100 acres. Usually each house had a nearby garden.
The two hand-colored pictures at left are copies of engravings by Theodor de Bry based on earlier drawings by John White.
In the "Village of Secoton", the artist chose to depict the houses and fields in a grid-like pattern. This stylized view allowed the artist to show many aspects of village life in a single image. The small hut in the corn field provided shelter for children whose job it was to guard the crops from animals.
In the "Village of Pomeiock," the open houses reveal raised platforms within. Notice the cupola-like roof on one of the buildings. The entire village is surrounded by a protective stockade.
The Long House
The Long House could be 100 feet long and twenty four feet wide. As many as twenty people could live in a large house. Doors were placed at either end of the home and the reed mats or bark sheets which covered the outside of the house could be removed to form windows. At the center was the fire pit with a hole in the roof above to vent the smoke. Larger houses might be partitioned with hanging mats. Low benches built along the interior wall provided a place to sit and sleep. Another style of house, the roundhouse, was dome-shaped and smaller - large enough for six to eight people.
Photo and transcription by Kevin Borland. Part of the "Woodland Indians of Arlington" exhibit at the Gulf Branch Nature Center. Photo of reproduction roundhouse from the Powhatan Village, Jamestown settlement, Virginia, photographer unknown. Similar photograph available (attribution required, non-commercial use only), courtesy of Bill Barber. Source of depicted Long House diagram unknown. Public domain electronic image of de Bry's "Village of Pomeiock" available at www.learnnc.org/lp/multimedia/6237. Public domain electronic image of de Bry's "Village of Secoton" available at www.learnnc.org/lp/multimedia/6276. Original John White watercolors on display at The Mariners' Museum, Newport News, VA. Source of background image unknown.