Page 260 - The Lost Ways

It’s heavier than a regular pine long, can burn like a torch, and emits black smoke. If you
accidentally put one on the fire in the roundhouse, the only thing to do is to remove it
immediately with a shovel and extinguish it. Otherwise, the roundhouse will quickly fill
with smoke.

Burning a very hot fire in the roundhouse for several hours before an event will also help
reduce smoke. You need a large pile of hot coals in the fire. After the event starts, you
can reduce the size of the fire. Cleaning out the fire pit before each event is also essential.
If you have ash and cinders left over from previous fires, you will probably have a smoky
fire.

Summary

Building a roundhouse like the ones traditionally used by Northern California’s Miwok and
Pomo people before the twentieth century, as a semi-subterranean structure with an
earthen roof, is a huge amount of work. This is why most roundhouses today are
constructed on a smaller scale, for a family or two maybe.

Here’s a quick illustration of a DIY semi-subterranean house:

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