Peer's comment

Commentary Pagan The answers by Pagan provide a vivid explanation of the architectural designs that were used by the Native Americans and the early Europeans settlers in the 16th and 17th century. I agree with Pagan that the Native Americans showed some ingenuity by using the available materials for building purposes. Their first building materials was wood in its different forms including saplings for structure, and leaves and bark that were used as finishing material. Animal skin and large bones were also used in building (Cadwalader). However, he failed to note that the foundations were made of stones.
Besides, he could have cited the Cliff palace as an ancient architectural structure. It was created by the ancient Pueblo people who inhabited the Taos Pueblo continuously for over 1000 years from CE 700 – 1250 in the current Colorado state, and related structures in Mesa Verde National Park from the 12th through to the 16th century.
Figure 1: showing an ancient dwelling place; Cliff palace (Suttles and Barbara, 491).
I also agree with him that the colonial architecture construction unlike the Native Indians was dependent on resources like brick and wood and had common elements of English buildings of New England such as the Wren Building of the College of William (1695-1702).
Hayley
It is true that the Native American architectural structures differed greatly from those of the early Colonial Americans’. For instance, according to Hayley, the long house and the colonial residential house were distinctly different as shown in the figures below.
However, Hayley fails to not that the tepees were built by and the poles were actually covered with buffalo’s skins. On the other hand, I also agree with Hayley’s answer that when the Europeans settlers arrived in America, they brought with them their own construction techniques and architectural traditions. The settlers’ buildings were made of timber frames that were filled inside with wickerwork covered with clay. The outside walls were covered with wooden boards for weather protection. The roof top was steep and covered with grass that was dried (Corner, 134). However, both of them cite the wigwam and tepees as examples of Native American structures and provide images of the structures. Besides, they all argue that the colonialists’ architectural designs were dependent on resources like brick and wood.
Works Cited
Cadwalader, Sandra L. 2014. History of the Americans. 11 April 2014 .
Corner, James M. Examples of Domestic Colonial Architecture in New England. Boston: Bates and Guild, 1901.
Suttles, Wayne and Lane, Barbara (1990-08-20). ” South Coast Salish”. In Sturtevant, William C. Handbook of North American Indians. 7. Northwest coast. Washington: Smithsonian Institution. p. 491.