About Apache Teepees
About five Native American tribes of the southwestern United States comprise the Apache Indians. They included the White Mountain Apache, Mescalero, Jicarilla and the San Carolos people. In the late 1800s the Apache were known for fiercely resisting the Federal government's attempt to keep the Apache on reservations.
Many were moved onto reservations by the 1870s, yet some continued to resist until 1886. At one time the Apache lived in thatched huts or in tepees.
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Types
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The teepee or tipi is the stereotypical American Indian shelter, which has been promoted in movies. Yet, many Native Americans did not use teepees. Not all Apache used the tepee, some lived in thatched huts.
There were many other types of Native American housing which include wigwams or birch houses, wattle or daub houses, longhouses, chickees or stilt houses, plank houses, grass huts, igloos, houses nestled into the earth or carved from rock cliffs and adobe houses.
Identification
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A tepee or tipi is similar to a tent and was commonly used by the Plains Indians of North America. Its outer wall was made from buffalo hides that had been sewn together and stretched over the poles that served as the tipi's frame. The poles were stacked in a cone shape. The base of the tipi was normally staked into the ground and a flap opening served as a front door.
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Features
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The average teepee was relatively small, providing room for up to five people. There was no furniture, just sleeping mats or a fire for cooking and heating. The teepee of the chief was normally much larger, as it was used for tribal meetings. As the hides were wrapped around the pole frames to create the teepee, the tip of the structure remained open, allowing campfire smoke to escape.
History
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Tepees were originally about 12 feet high. Before horses were introduced to the Plains Indians, dogs were used to haul the dismantled teepees when traveling. After the arrival of horses, the Apaches were able to travel greater distances. Horses then hauled the teepees, which were used as sleds to haul items when traveling. Teepees then became taller, sometimes twice the size as those once hauled by dogs.
Benefits
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The teepee provided shelter for all seasons. During the warmer months the buffalo- skinned walls could be rolled up to capture the breeze. The open tip of the teepee allowed smoke to escape, enabling the Indians to build a campfire inside the shelter for cooking and warmth. The teepee was portable, a necessary benefit for a tribe on the move. The shelter also doubled as a sled when disassembled. When traveling the tepee turned sled would haul personal items.
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