Cattail Thatched House
Coyote Hills Regional Park

In the summer of 2007, Nisha Hariharan and Shikha Kothari were inspired to learn how to make a small Central California Indian-style domed house. Committed to making a dwelling that would do justice to the ingenuity and elegance of early-day Central California Indian houses, these two young women were willing to put in as many hours as was necessary to insure theirs was well-built. Family members assisted them in gathering suitable willow poles and truckloads of cattail, constructing the framework of the house, then thatching it with a thick enough layer of cattail that rain would not go through. 410 hours later, Nisha, Shikha, and their families had completed the house. Other volunteers contributed additional hours in gathering cattail.

Today, nobody knows exactly how early-day Ohlone houses were built. Written descriptions dating to the late 1700s and a single drawing confirm that they were domed-shaped, had low doors, and were thatched with tule or bundles or grass. Archaeology reveals the range of Ohlone house floor sizes. Information shared by Rumsien and Mutsun elders in the 1920s and ‘30s reveals that willow and tule were primary building materials. Bracken fern served as roofing material for some houses, while lotus scoparius foliage was used for thatching. Bay leaf bunches were hung inside to freshen the air.

Much more is known about the specific methods used by Pomo, Yokuts, and Chumash peoples to construct their domed houses. This cattail house is based on all of these sources.

Hearth fires, used for warmth, insured that houses stayed dry, even in the heaviest of rains. Since no fires will be lit in this house, a secondary roof will protect it from getting wet and rotting during the rainy season.

For more information contact Beverly Ortiz, Coyote Hills Regional Park Naturalist, (510) 795-9835.

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