Which Product Would Work Best On A Permanent, Wichita-Style Grass House

First Nation thatch

Artlyst featured a Wichita-style temporary structure created by artist Necole Schmitz. It was on display at London’s Rootstein Hopkins Parade Ground a few years back. It was really cool. So, what if someone wanted to do create a similar structure, but of a more permanent nature? With the over-due, increased interest in Native American history, could an Endureed product be used to ensure a structure could withstand the demands of an educational setting? We think so.

Grass houses were used by tribes in the Plains like the Caddos and the Wichita. They resembled large wigwam, but were made with different materials. These grass houses had a wooden frame bent into a beehive shape. Then, the entire structure was thatched with long prairie grass. Now, it might seem like any grass house used to honor and learn about Native Americans should be made from natural grass from a Tallgrass prairie, but unfortunately, less than four percent of all the Tallgrass prairies remain. They are mostly located in the Kansas Flint Hills. Within one generation, the vast majority of Tallgrass prairies were plowed under due to development.

Which Endureed Product Would Best Replicate This Look?

Long grasses that used to constitute Tallgrass prairies like those used to build grass houses included Big bluestem, Indiangrass, Little bluestem, and  Switchgrass. Many of these grasses in a Tallgrass prairie reached six to 8 feet or more in height. Still, as long as these grasses were, the panels used in grass houses weren’t usually that tall. As Schmitz demonstrated, a longer, shaggy synthetic thatch would be suitable.

Our Bali product replicates finer, loosely tapered grass. It’s a slightly longer shingle and might fit the bill. Kona on the other hand, also replicates both fine and wide grasses, but the shingles are up to 18 inches long. Of course, as we point out on our Regions Series page, “if you can dream it, we can create it!” Our products allow for a broad range of flexibility.

So, if you’re interested in using our products for unique project honoring the history of Indigenous people anywhere in the world, it’s worth at least contacting us! We will be upfront with you either way. So, let’s create something extraordinary together!