The seasons dictated the sizes and locations of the Carrier camps. Depending on which season we arrived in, we would find different dwellings at different areas. In the winter (Khit), we would find large camps near a lake and an area that promised a good supply of firewood. In spring (Oluth), there would be small camps. In summer (Shin), there would be large camps near the salmon runs, and in the fall (Dak'et), there would be small camps near a lake.
Seasons also dictated the types of dwellings each family group inhabited. In the winter their houses were called pithouses . These were partially submerged beneath the earth in a three-foot-deep pit. A dome of wood was built around the pit and then covered with earth and bark. These pithouses were warm and cozy throughout the winter months.
In the summer, the Carrier resided totally above ground. Their lodges were wooden A-frame structures covered with birchbark or animal skins. The summer dwellings usually had two doors, but no windows. The ventilation came from the smokehole in the middle of the roof and the doors. As the Carrier made their homes right on the ground, the fire could be, and was made in the middle of the room. Only the sleeping areas were covered with spruce branches and undressed skins (Morice).
