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Nuu-Chah-Nulth houses were gargantuan. Ranging from 40 to 100 feet in length and 30 to 40 feet in width, they each sheltered several patrilineally related families. These massive houses were built broadside to the beach and out of cedar beams and hand-split boards. The houses were constructed with removable plank roofing and siding and were occupied all winter and all summer and served as the most important fishing stations. In the fall and spring, they would often be transported from village to village in the seasonal shifting of residence.

Standing in the doorway, looking into the house, the chief of each lineage would occupy the right rear corner of the house, then the next in lineage, usually a younger brother, would occupy the opposite rear corner. The two front corners were next in importance and would be marked off by storage boxes stacked at the boundaries. Early traverlers were disgusted with the Nootkan households' uncleanness. Their complaints included "bladders of oil and bundles of greasy fish dangling from overhead at just the height to smear one's face as he so much as blinked while walking through with his smoke-irritated eyes. The foreigners were also appalled by the items scattered about the floor: baskets, boxes, dishes, mats, and tools, all mixed in masses of trash, fish guts, shell fish, and other garbage.

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15y ago

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