wetu
noun/ˈwi.tu/
Etymology Borrowed from Massachusett wetu.
1
US A dwelling, a domed hut similar to a wigwam, used by some Native Americans in the northeastern United States, especially the Wampanoag.
- Wetus ranged in size between about 10 to 15 feet in diameter. As many as ten people lived inside.2001, Donald M. Silver, Patricia J. Wynne, The Pilgrims, the Mayflower & more; grades 1-3, page 17:
- To make a wetu, the Wampanoag set poles made from cedar saplings into the ground. They bent the poles over and covered them with cattail reeds or bark. A wetu was either circular or oval. Most wetu were about 20 to 30 feet (6 to 9 meters) […]2003, Janet Riehecky, The Wampanoag: The People of the First Light, page 13:
2 more examples
- Wetus were commonly about 12 feet (3.7 m) wide and 14 to 20 feet (4.3 to 6.1 m) long. Sometimes three or four families shared a single house. These wetus could be up to 100 feet (30.4 m) long and 30 feet (9.1 m) wide.2005, Janey Levy, The Wampanoag of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, page 22:
- In one corner of the village a man is emerging from a sweat-house; in the village's center a child sleeps in a wetu while a little boy on the roof hides from his dog, their only domesticated animal. A woman in mourning speaks to the sachem.2008, Frances H. Kennedy, American Indian Places: A Historical Guidebook, page 31: