Summer Lodges
Summer lodges (stselcwellcw) were used for hunting and food gathering because they were mobile. These lodges were light, easy to transport and kept wind, rain, and sun outside. Replacing damaged or lost parts was easy to accomplish because there was an abundance of material in almost every location.
The
Southern Secwepemc bands used tule reeds, also known as bulrushes or cattails
(lower picture). There was more than enough tule to be found in swamps
or marshes. The long leaves and stems were woven into mats using hemp rope
and at the edges of the mats were sticks that would prevent weathering.
The mats were tied onto a cone-shaped frame made of poles and would overlap
each other downwards from the top. The mats were also used for bedding
inside the lodge.
The Northern Secwepemc bands had the same design but used different covering materials. Long, oblong bark strips covered the cone-shaped frame.
The bark used for the summer lodge came from black pine, spruce, balsam, and cedar trees. The bark would reach from the ground to the top where the poles crossed and the holes were filled in with wasted or leftover bark. A light pole was placed at the base to prevent the bark from curling.
