Architectural History of Native North America *Online* *NEW*

What comes to mind when you think about Native American buildings? For most of us, it is probably the tipi first; then, perhaps, the wigwam or the earthlodge or the iglu. The list usually ends there, however, and most of us know very little about any of these buildings beyond their general form and materials. This course will offer a tour of Native American Indigenous architecture across history and geography. We'll look at iconic Native American dwellings - adobe houses, iglus, tipis, wigwams - in addition to other, lesser-known forms of Indigenous architecture and infrastructure. We will discuss in depth the material, structural, formal, and environmental components of the buildings themselves, as well as how Indigenous architectures evolved and adapted in response to political, social, cultural, and climatic factors. And, rather than treating Indigenous architecture solely as a relic of the past, we will also discuss how forms and techniques of Indigenous architecture persist into the present day. 

Instructors: Maggie Freeman & Rafael Abrahams