Barabara

This article is about the indigenous structure. For the Gen Hoshino song, seeBarabara (song).

Abarabara(Aleut:ulax̂), the traditional Aleut winter house

Abarabaraor barabora(Russian);ulax̂,ulaagamax,ulaq,orulas(plural) (Aleut); andciqlluaq(Alutiiq ~ Sugpiaq)were the traditional, main or communaldwellingused by theAlutiiq peopleandAleuts,the indigenous people of theAleutian Islands.They lay partially underground like anearth lodgeorpit-house,and most of the house was excavated from the dirt so as to withstand the high forces of wind in the Aleutian chain of islands. Barabaras are no longer used,as present-day Aleuts live in modern houses and apartment buildings.

Overview

The roof of a barabara was generally made from sod and grass layered over a frame of wood or whalebone, and contained a roof doorway for entry. The main room had two rows for cots, less-excavated and higher than the rest of the room. The bottom of the room had one or more holes for an "inhouse". The entrance typically had a small wind envelope, or "Arctic entry", to prevent cold wind, rain or snow from blowing into the main room and cooling it off. There was usually a small hole in the ceiling from which the smoke from the fire escaped.

Gallery

• 
  Barabaras inKarluk, Alaskawith steeple in background
• 
  Barabaras in Karluk
• 
  Group of men in front of structures including a barabara at center, Karluk Village, 1906
• 
  Food cache and barabara sod hut inNushagak,1917

See also

• Qargi
• Quiggly hole
• Vernacular architecture

External links

• Beard, D. C.Shelters, Shacks and Shanties.New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1916. pg 100-03.
• Alaska's Digital Archives, keyword search "barabara"