78 THE POINT BARROW ESKIMO. 



large triple house described by Dr. Simpson, and compared by him 

 with that described by Eichardson, though in some respe(!ts it more 

 closely resembles those seen by Hooper.' This house really has a fire- 

 place in the middle, and in this approaches the houses of the southern 

 Eskimo of Alaska. According to Dr. Simpson,^ "a modification of the 

 last form, built of undressed timber, and sometimes of very small dimen- 

 sions, with two HM'esses oiijiosite eaeli other, and raised a loot above the 

 middle space, is very common on tlie slioresof Kotzelme >Sonnd," but he 

 does not make it plain whether houses like those used at Point Earrow 

 are not used there also. 



This form of house is very like the large snow houses seeu by Lieixt. 

 Ray at hunting camps on Kidugrua. Dr. Simpson describes less perma- 

 nent structures which are used on the rivers, consisting of sm.all trees 

 split and laid "inclinhig inward in a pyiamidal finm towards a rude 

 square fl-ame in the center, supported by two or more ni)riglit posts. 

 Upon these the smaller branches of the felled trees are placed, and the 

 whole, except the aperture at the top and a small o])eniiig on one side, 

 is covered with earth or only snow.'" These buildings, and especially 

 the tem]iorary ones deseiibed by Dr. Simpson, used on the Nuuatak, 

 prol)al)ly ;.;ave rise to tlie statement we heard at Point Barrow that 

 "the jieojile south had no iulus and lived only in tents." The houses at 

 Norton Sound are (piite different from the Point Barrow form. The 

 floor, which is not planked, is 3 or 4 feet under ground, and the passage 

 enters one side of the house, instead of coming up through the floor, 

 and a small shed is built over the outer entrance to the passage. The fire 

 is built in the middle of the house, under the aperture in the roof which 

 serves for chimney and w indow. and there is seldom any ban(iuette, but 

 the two ends of the room are leneed olf hy loj;s hiid on the "ronnd, to 

 serve as sleeping places, straw and siinice Ixnighs being laid down and 

 covered with grass mats. ' 



The houses in the Knskokwim region are quite siniilai- to those just 

 described, but are said to be built above ground in the interior, though 

 they are still covered with sods.** Tliere are no i)ublished accouuts of the 

 houses of the St. Lawrence islanders, but they are known to inhabit sub- 

 terranean or ]iartly undergronnd earth-covered houses, built of wood, 

 wliiletlie.VsiatieKsisimo liave aiiandonded tlie old underground houses, 

 whieli were still in use at th(^ end of the last century, and have adopted 

 tli(^ double-skin tent of the Chukches.^ In addition to the cases quoted by 

 Dall, < 'apt. Cook speaks of finding the natives of St. Lawrence Bay iu 

 1778 living in partly underground earth-covered houses.^ 



1 p. 13. 



)>. 105. Mr. E. W. Nl'Isou tulLs mt>, Uowi-ver, tliat the village 



