About Teepees

The word "teepee" comes from the Lakota language, and translates both as "they dwell" and "house." Upon first encountering these dwellings, Spanish explorer Don Juan de Onate proclaimed that they were 'built as skillfully as any house in Italy.' And although they may not be a common sight in the 21st century, their elegant design continues to impress.

Features

The frame of the teepee is formed by 10 to 20 poles that formed a cone, which are tied off with cord. The exterior of the frame is wrapped with a canvas or hide cover, which can then be supplemented with an interior lining to provide additional warmth and protection from drafts, pests and rain. Teepees also possess a pair of adjustable smoke flaps, which serve as a simply chimney. Pegs anchor the base of the structure to the ground. And a teepee was actually not a perfect cone: its steeper side faced into the wind, and its doorway faced the sunrise.

Function

Teepees provide a wealth of benefits to their inhabitants. They are durable, cool in summer, warm in winter, and dry during the rainy season. Their design makes them surprisingly spacious, and capable of fitting a whole Native American family quite comfortably. Teepees are also, more importantly, an incredibly mobile dwelling place, which allowed many Great Plains tribes to pull up stakes and move camp in order to follow the migrating herds of American Bison.

Misconceptions

Teepees were widely used by the Great Plains tribes of North America, who lived a nomadic existence. Wigwams, on the other hand, were domed dwellings made of grass, cloth and brush that were popular amongst the Native Americans of the Northeast and Southwest. American Indian dwelling varied immensely from region to region, and even from season to season.

Prevention/Solution

A teepee's small fire should be sited in a shallow hole at the center of teepee, about 14 to 16 inches in diameter, and lined with stones to reflect the heat. Smoke can fill a teepee, however, if proper air flow isn't established even when the smoke flap sits wide open. In colder climates where the base of the teepee must remain flush with the ground, a buried pipe can channel air from outside and into the base of the fire. And although rain can enter a teepee by running down the poles in its frame, the poles can be "capped off" with an inverted bowl.

Modern Uses

The Information Age has seen a teepee resurgence of sorts, as modern-day architects and laymen alike started to appreciate the simplicity and advantages of the teepee. In the 1960s and 70s, the "back-to-the-land" movement used teepees to easily relocate to rural, off-grid locales. And teepees can still be found at modern pow-wows, as Native Americans gather to celebrate their culture.

Resources

• Tipis-Tepees-Teepees
• Native American Architecture
• Nomadics Tipi Makers