The Indigenous Leadership Academy is currently working on the Indigenous Architecture Revival Project. We are constructing a Pit House with members of the Lil'wat Nation. The Pit-house is the original architecture of the Lil'wat People and all St'at'imc as well as many other Indigenous Nations throughout the british columbia and the world.







Our objectives and expected outcomes are to:

-Revive the original architecture of our people and make ancient knowledge relevant today.

-Build skills and teach Indigenous people how to build a original and low cost home for their families.

-Demonstrate action based problem solving: Answer the housing crisis in our communities. There is a need for housing, build homes.

-Promote cultural resurgence for the continuation of Indigenous way of life.



What is a Pit House? A Pit House is a subterranean home. Pit Houses were and are constructed all over the world and were the original home of the many people of the territories now known as british columbia. After harvesting wild foods throughout the warmer months the people returned to the valleys and lived in winter villages comprised of many Pit Houses.



Dug into the ground below the frost level, the Pit House is insulated by the earth and does not freeze in winter and stays cool in summer making it ideal for the strong weather of the northwest. Pit Houses were the common permeant structure in many parts of british columbia until the early 1900's. Dozens have been built for reenactment village sites and within the last 10 years young Indigenous families have been returning to the Pit House as a way of life and helped in the resurgence of traditional Indigenous homes.



Upon completion this Pit House will be a home for a young Indigenous family who wants to revive the Pit House way of life. It will serve as a model and teaching area to have workshops and skill sharing sessions in Lil'wat.



Kúkwstum̓ckacw for supporting the Revival of Indigenous architecture, culture and way of life.



