VI. 



LAND-WORKS, HOUSES, VILLAGES. 



Dwellings in general on the northwest coast may be classed as the 

 fortifled and the uni)rotected. These may be either temporary or per- 

 manent. 



LAND-WORKS : FORTIFICATIONS. 



In the past century, the form, location, and construction ot villages 

 have undergone considerable change in this region. The rules or prac- 

 tices of war were such as to entail the necessity for some form of forti- 

 fication. Often, in addition to the regular villages, fortifications were 

 erected near by, into which they might withdraw in time of danger, but 

 sometimes fortified sites were permanently occupied. Before the advent 

 of the whites, two considerations of prime importance obtained in the 

 location of a site for a village, (1) proximity to halibut banks and fish- 

 ing grounds, and (2) possibility of fortification against attack. Van- 

 couver says of the Kake villages, at the head of Keku Straits, Kupre- 

 anoff Island: 



They all uniformly were situated on the summit of some precipice, or steep insular 

 rock, rendered by nature almost inaccessible, and by art and great labor made a 

 strong defense, which proved that the inhabitants had been subject to the incursions 

 of hostile visitors. These fortified places were well constructed, with a strong plat- 

 form of wood, laid on the most elevated part of the rock, and projecting so far from 

 its sides as to overspread the declivity. The edge of the platform was surrounded 

 by a barricade raised by logs of wood placed on each other.* 



In the narrative of Dixon's voyage (1787) a sketch is given of a Haida 

 fortified house on Hippah Island, off the west coast of Queen Charlotte 

 Islands. He says of it : 



The tribe who inhabit this hippah seem well defended from any sudden assault of 

 their enemies, for the ascent to it from the beach is steep and difficult of access, and 

 the other sides are well barricaded with pines and brushwood, notwithstanding 

 which they have been at infinite pains in raising additional fences of rails and boards, 

 so that I should think they can not fail to repel any tribe that should dare to attack 

 their fortification.* 



Captain Dixon further pronounces it as " built exactly on the plan of 

 the hippah of the savages of New Zealand." t 



Strong natural defensive positions seem to have been generally 

 selected along the whole coast. Vancouver (1793) notices this point 



* Vancouver, Voyage, Vol. iii, pp. 289, 290. t Dixon, Voyage, p. 206. 



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