Housing

The Aleut people lived in coastal villages and a few inland villages located on rivers and lakes. Usually, they settled on points of land between two bays or on narrow sand spits. Key factors in choosing village locations were a protected beach for launching boats, fresh water nearby, and close proximity to marine mammals and fishing. A typical village consisted of 50 to 200 people living in five to ten homes.

The traditional houses of the Aleut were called barabaras.  Barabaras were partially underground to provide insulation and protection from harsh weather conditions. Because the islands were treeless, the Aleut built houses with driftwood, whalebone, and sod. The sod-covered semi-subterranean dwellings were often hard to distinguish from the surrounding landscape. Seal oil lamps were used for light and heat. The entrance for a barabara was through the roof—a person entered by climbing down a notched log through the ceiling.  The roof opening also allowed smoke to escape and light to enter.

Barabaras were home to a few closely related families. The typical size of barabaras was 30 to 40 feet long and 20 to 30 feet wide, with the floor 4 to 6 feet below ground. The inside consisted of an open space in the middle for general living, and sleeping areas along the wall separated by grass mats hung from the rafters. In the eastern Aleutians the houses were sometimes much larger. Some were said to be 240 by 40 feet and occupied by as many as 40 families. At seasonal hunting and fishing sites Aleuts also built dwellings, but usually smaller ones than at their permanent villages. 

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