Abstract

Ranks societies, such as those of the Northwest Coast, grapple with an inherent tension in social structure grapple with an inherent tension between hierarchy and communalism. This paper examines the ways in which domestic space, in particular vernacular architecture, was used on the Northwest Coast to resolve this tension. Northwest Coast houses reinforced social principles of rank by assigning family spaces according to title within dwellings, while simultaneously supporting household incorporation through the use of central communal spaces.