Palisade
A palisade indicates some kind of defensive fortification around a group of homes, and was used by English and Native peoples in 17th century New England. It most often refers to a 10-12 foot high wall made of closely spaced logs or wooden stakes surrounding a closely-spaced cluster of houses. Iroquoian villages started constructing palisades around traditional longhouses during a period of prolonged inter-tribal warfare. After European colonization, some Algonkian villages in New England also started constructing forts or palisades.