DCHP-3

keekwil(l)ie hole

DCHP-1 (pre-1967)

Entry from the DCHP-1 (pre-1967)

This entry may contain outdated or offensive information, terms, and examples.

a large semisubterranean winter dwelling formerly used by certain Indian tribes, a typical example being 10-12 feet deep and 25-40 feet in diameter, covered with split logs and a layer of mud, and accommodating 12-15 persons.

Quotations

1950
Keekwilie holes . . . very old Indian dwellings . . . distinguished by the semi-subterranean portion of the conically-shaped houses.
1965
[When] settlers first arrived in what is now British Columbia they found the native tribes addicted to steam baths, which they prepared with heated rocks in a "keekwillie hole," after the fashion of the Finnish sauna.