Tikchik village: a nineteenth century riverine community in ... - Cluster

252 FIELDIANA: ANTHROPOLOGY, VOLUME 56House 10 (Fig. 15)This structure was the least distinct of all from the surface andthere was even some doubt at the beginning of the field season as towhether it was a house or just a natural depression that somewhatresembled one. This doubt persisted throughout the early phases ofthe excavation and it was not until structural features, such as theywere, began to appear that it was removed. This was a dwelling entirelywithout preserved wood, the long axis of which was parallel toa tunnel which ran out slightly at an angle. Very thin traces of woodwere found in two places along the southeast wall, but for the mostpart the walls of this house could be delineated only by following thebench levels to their furthest extent. Even at that, the lines representingwalls in the figure should be considered very tentative at best.Bench areas were noted on two sides and the post hole pattern wasfairly clear indicating four-post-center construction. The step-upfrom the tunnel to the house floor was quite steep and the tunnelfloor was the most clearly defined surface in the house. At the outsideentrance a semi-circular shaped soil discoloration and a singlepost hole were noted. House 10 was located very close to house 2,so much so that it is almost inconceivable that the two structurescould have been built at the same time. If house 2 was built afterhouse 10 was abandoned, it is possible that the disturbance duringconstruction could have affected preservation in house 10 or the newbuilders may purposely have destroyed the older dwelling after firsttaking many logs from it.KashgeesWhen I first saw the Tikchik site in the late summer of 1964, myattention was immediately drawn to the impressive and obvious kashgee,or ceremonial house, ruin in the southeastern corner of the site.Excavations were begun the following summer and for most of theseason I was under the impression that my crew and I were excavatingonly the one kashgee, even though another structure appeared tobe very deep and exhibited other peculiar features when comparedwith the houses that were being dug. Finally, toward the end of theseason, when the construction of this structure became evident and itclosely resembled that of the obvious kashgee, my suspicions werearoused. These suspicions were confirmed when, at the close of thefield season, Ivan Ishnook, the last surviving former resident at Tikchikwas interviewed at New Koliganek. He stated immediatelythat there had been two kashgees in the village and he identified bothof these on my map of the site. So that the structure which had ten-