The Iroquoian nations, including the Huron-Wendat, are sedentary peoples who grew corn, squash, beans, sunflowers and tobacco. They cleared fertile land covered in forests. To build longhouses, they used the trees they cut down when clearing the land.
Rugged grey elm bark covered the roof and lined the walls of the longhouses. Since the bark is softer in the spring, longhouses were usually built then, when covering the walls and roofs was easier.
The rounded roofs of longhouses were about six meters from the ground. Longhouses could house five to ten families, and their length varied depending on how many people lived there. Inside, the Iroquoians set up beds, storage spaces and fireplaces for cooking and warmth.