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Samuel de Champlain was a French explorer in North America during the early 1600’s. He stayed with the Huron, Native Americans living in what today is Ontario, Canada. Champlain wrote firsthand descriptions of the longhouses, villages and daily lives of the Huron people in the early part of the 17th century. The following passage is part of an historical document that was originally written in French by Champlain in 1616. Read the passage and answer the questions below. "Their cabins [cabannes] are in the shape of tunnels [tonnelles]
or arbors, and are covered with the bark of trees. They are from
twenty-five to thirty fathoms
long, more or less, and six wide, having a passage-way through the
middle from ten to twelve feet wide, which extends from one end to the
other. On the sides there is a kind of bench, four feet high, where they
sleep in summer, in order to avoid the annoyance of the fleas, of which
there are great numbers. In winter they sleep on the ground on mats near
the fire, so as to be warmer than they would be on the platform. They
lay up a stock of dry wood, with which they fill their cabins, to burn
in winter. At the extremity of the cabins there is a space, where they
preserve their Indian corn, which they put into great casks made of the
bark of trees and placed in the middle of their encampment. They have
pieces of wood suspended, on which they put their clothes, provisions,
and other things, for fear of the mice, of which there are great
numbers. In one of these cabins there may be twelve fires, and
twenty-four families. It smokes excessively, from which it follows that
many receive serious injury to the eyes, so that they lose their sight
towards the close of life. There is no window nor any opening, except
that in the upper part of their cabins for the smoke to escape.” 1. What were two of the pests that invaded longhouses? _________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 2. The passage described a natural material used in the making of longhouses that is shown in the picture. What is this natural material? ________________________________________________________________________ 3. What might be some of the advantages for the Native Americans of living in a house with many families? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________
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