How was the fire brought into the longhouse?
FIRE BROUGHT INTO THE LONGHOUSE: It is unsure when fire was actually brought into the hothouses or the longhouses, but the Cherokee did have a “normal” dwelling and a winter hot house with its stores of corn and beans close. One elder said that the Cherokee did not dance around the open fire as shown in films, but in designated areas near the dance ground in front of the council house and away from the ball ground and chunkey yard. Ironically, the houses were built with two large posts with a smaller post between then, packed with clay and grass as a plaster with bark or thatch roofs. Certain houses would be whitewashed with lime and crushed clam shells with a smoke hole, rather than a chimney. Hothouses were used for sleeping during the cold weather called “o si” with a fire pit in the middle and beds around the walls. The beds had short posts for legs and white oak or ash splints woven on a sapling frame. Cane mats were placed on the woven framework and skins for coverings. Later, ch
