Smoke hole
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Smoke holes (also called smokeholes or smoke-holes) refers to the historical and modern reconstructed Native American long house ceiling ventilation. Longhouse smoke holes occur in intervallic square openings along the roof of Native American long houses as an escape route for indoor fireplace smoke.
[edit] Smoke holes for tents
In Native American plains style Tipi housing, the smoke hole consisted of one easily accessible smoke flap vent which was positioned around the apex of the interior beams and the flaps were extended outward on poles to open the vent. In modern ceremonial tipis this vent is in the traditional fashion.
Sami tents called a lavvu also have a smoke hole from which smoke from a campfire is vented out the top. Unlike the Native Americn tipi however, there are no smoke flaps, just a round hole at the top of the tent.
[edit] Slang usage
Smoke hole is also a colloquialism used by high-school students (and occasionally faculty) to the area in which the smoking of cigarettes is permitted.
