Plateau Pit Houses (“Kekuli”) – A Smoky Entrance
The semi-migratory nations of the Plateau region set up permanent homes but had shelters at the ready for the summer hunting and gathering seasons. The permanent homes, pit homes or kekuli, were semi-subterranean, or half-sunk into the ground. The foundation is a pit, anywhere from 1 to 2 meters (roughly 3 to 6 feet) deep. A wood frame held up the domed roof, which had a rather large hole at the top.
This was on purpose; the hole was vital to the pit house. It provided ventilation, letting smoke from the fire pit out and fresh air in, and served as the entrance and exit to the house. People had to scramble up their own roof to enter the house, where they would enter down a ladder into the pit. It was cozy but couldn’t have been too comfortable if a fire was going underneath the ladder.
