Dictionary

wetu en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈwi.tu/

Etymology

Borrowed from Massachusett wetu.

Meanings

1. (US) A dwelling, a domed hut similar to a wigwam, used by some Native Americans in the northeastern United States, especially the Wampanoag.
   • 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:
   • 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:
   • 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:

Forms

Relateds

hogan (traditional Native American dwellings) · igloo (traditional Native American dwellings) · teepee (traditional Native American dwellings) · tupik (traditional Native American dwellings) · wigwam (traditional Native American dwellings) · wickiup (traditional Native American dwellings)