In Native American villages around the United States, the roundhouse, or hun'ge, was traditionally the community center for social gatherings and ceremonial events. Community members go to a roundhouse for healing, guidance, weddings, and to mourn the dead. Special occasions are celebrated with music and dancing.
The roundhouse at Indian Grinding Rock Historic State Park is sixty feet wide, and covered with cedar bark. Large beams and center poles support the roof. The roundhouse door opens to the east, the direction of the rising sun. Near the back is a large foot drum. A large hole in the center of the cedar bark roof allows smoke from the fire pit to escape, and also permits observation of the night sky.
The hun'ge at Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park is a regional roundhouse, meaning any tribe or band in the area may use it.
Read more about the building of the hun'ge in 1973, and its 2013 restoration.