THE houses along the coast of the Bering Sea are called barabaras, but the
ones that we are going to build now are in form almost identical with the
Pawnee hogan (Figs. 42 and 43), the real difference being in the peculiar
log work of the barabara in place of the teepee-like rafters of the said
hogan.
To build a barabara you will need eight short posts for the outside wall
and six or eight longer posts for the inside supports (Fig. 145). The
outside posts should stand about three feet above the ground after they
have been planted in the holes dug for the purpose. The top of the posts
should be cut wedge-shaped, as shown by Fig. 144, in order to fit in the
notch _B_ (Fig. 144). The cross logs, where they cross each other, should
be notched like those of a log cabin (Figs. 162 and 165) or flattened at
the points of contact.
Plant your first four posts for the front of your barabara in a line, two
posts for the corners _B_ and _E_ (Fig. 145 _A_), and two at the middle of
the line _C_ and _D_ for door-jambs (plan, Fig. 145 _A_). The tops of
these posts should be level with each other so that if a straight log is
placed over them the log will lie level. Next plant the two side-posts _F_
and _G_ (Fig. 145 _A_) at equal distances from the two front posts and
make them a few feet farther apart than are the front posts. The sketch of
the framework is drawn in very steep perspective, that is, it is made as
if the spectator was on a hill looking down upon it. It is drawn in this
manner so as to better show the construction, but the location of the
posts may be seen in the small plan. Next set the two back posts, _H_ and
_K_, and place them much closer together, so that the bottom frame when
the rails are on the post will be very near the shape of a boy's hexagonal
kite.
Fig. 144. Fig. 145. Fig. 145A. Fig. 146. Fig. 147. Fig. 148.
[Illustration: The details of a Barabara.]
Inside erect another set of posts, setting each one opposite the outside
ones and about a foot and a half or two feet farther in, or maybe less
distance, according to the material one is using. Next set some posts for
the hallway or entrance, which will be the door-jambs, and you are ready
to build up the log roof. Do this by first setting the rail securely on
the two side-posts on the right and left of the building; then secure the
back plate on the two back posts at the rear of the building, next resting
a long log over the side rails at the front of the building. The
door-posts, of course, must be enough taller than the two end posts to
allow for the thickness of the log, so that the front log will rest upon
their top. Next put your two corner logs on, and your outside rail is
complete. Build the inside rail in the same manner; then continue to build
up with the logs as shown in the diagram until you have a frame like that
in Fig. 145. Fig. 147 shows the inside of the house and the low doorway,
and Fig. 148 shows the slanting walls. This frame is supposed to be
covered with splits or shakes (Figs. 147 and 148), but, as in all pioneer
structures, if shakes, splits, and clapboards are unobtainable, use the
material at hand--birch bark, spruce bark, tar paper, old tin roofing,
tent-cloth, or sticks, brush, ferns, weeds, or round sticks, to cover it
as you did with the Pawnee hogan (Figs. 42 and 43). Then cover it with
browse, or thatch it with hay or straw and hold the thatch in place with
poles or sticks, as shown in Fig. 146. The barabara may also be covered
with earth, sod, or mud.
This sort of a house, if built with planks or boards nailed securely to
the rafters and covered with earth and sod, will make a splendid cave
house for boys and a playhouse for children on the lawn, and it may be
covered with green growing sod so as to have the appearance of an
ornamental mound. The instinct of the cave-dweller is deeply implanted in
the hearts of boys, and every year we have a list of fatal accidents
caused by the little fellows digging caves in sand-banks or banks of
gravel which frequently fall in and bury the little troglodytes, but they
will be safe in a barabara. The shack is ventilated by a chimney hole in
the roof as shown by Fig. 146. This hole should be protected in a
playhouse. The framework is a good one to use in all parts of the country
for more or less permanent camps, but the long entrance and low doorway
are unnecessary except in a cold climate or to add to the mystery of the
cave house for children. It is a good form for a dugout for a root house
or cyclone cellar.