The Mohawk Longhouse


The traditional shelter of the Iroquois Nation was the longhouse. Longhouses received this name because the buildings were longer than they were wide. Usually the longhouse had a door at each end to use for entering and exiting.

The bark of the longhouse was typically elm. There were plenty of elm trees available and the wood made good housing material because it offered protection from the rain and cold.

In the winter, both ends of the longhouse were covered with animal fur to help keep the cold out and the heat in.


Longhouses varied in length from about sixty to three hundred feet. They were divided into sections. Each section served as a home for a family. Living within the same house built a sense of community within the tribe and helped make the best use of the natural resources.


The longhouse frame was built by forming a curved roof using flexible poles or smaller trees.

A fire pit or set of fire pits was set up within the longhouse for heat. Most of the smoke escaped naturally through a smokehole cut in the ceiling. In the winter, the heat from the fire would rise out of the ceiling and help melt the snow and ice off the roof. This melted snow and water could be collected and used in cooking or for drinking water.

To protect the village from predators and enemy tribes, a protective wooden structure called a palisade surrounded the village.

This structure was created using tall timbers woven with saplings and large tree branches.