A tipi of the Nez Perce tribe, circa 1900.

A tipi (also teepee, tepee) is a conical tent originally made of animal skins or birch bark and popularized by the Native Americans of the Great Plains. Tipis are stereotypically associated with Native Americans in general, but Native Americans from places other than the Great Plains used different types of dwellings. The term wigwam is sometimes incorrectly used to refer to a dwelling of this type. Nez Perce couple (Spokane, WA abt 1900) Title: Nez Perce man and woman pose in front of tepee, with mountain behind them Photographer: Palmer, Frank, 1864-1920 Studio Location: United States--Washington (State)--Spokane Notes: Woman in full length dress over blouse, with long necklace & beaded belt stands beside man... Nez Perce couple (Spokane, WA abt 1900) Title: Nez Perce man and woman pose in front of tepee, with mountain behind them Photographer: Palmer, Frank, 1864-1920 Studio Location: United States--Washington (State)--Spokane Notes: Woman in full length dress over blouse, with long necklace & beaded belt stands beside man... The Nez Perce (IPA: ) are a tribe of Native Americans who live in the Pacific Northwest region (Columbia River Plateau) of the United States. ... Look up Circa on Wiktionary, the free dictionary The Latin word circa, literally meaning about, is often used to describe various dates (often birth and death dates) that are uncertain. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about the people indigenous to the United States. ... For other uses, see Great Plains (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Stereotype (disambiguation). ... A dwelling is a structure in which humans or other animals live. ... Apache wickiup, by Edward S. Curtis, 1903 A wigwam or wickiup is a domed single-room dwelling used by certain Native American tribes. ...

The tipi was durable, provided warmth and comfort in winter, was dry during heavy rains, and was cool in the heat of summer. Tipis could be disassembled and packed away quickly when a tribe decided to move, and could be reconstructed quickly when the tribe settled in a new area. This portability was important to those Plains Indians who had a nomadic lifestyle. http://www. ... Original range of the Plains Indians The Plains Indians are the Indians who lived on the plains and rolling hills of the Great Plains of North America. ... For the 2006 historical epic set in Kazakhstan, see Nomad (2006 film). ...

Modern tipi covers are usually made of canvas. Contemporary users of tipis include historical reenactors, back-to-the-land devotees, and Native American families attending Powwows or Encampments who wish to preserve and pass on a part of their heritage and tradition. Look up Canvas in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Reenactors of the American Civil War Historical reenactment is a type of roleplay in which participants attempt to recreate some aspects of a historical event or period. ... Today, the phrase back-to-the-land movement usually refers to a North American social phenomenon of the 1960s and 1970s. ... This article is about a Native American gathering. ...

The word "tipi" comes into English from the Lakota language; the word thípi consists of two elements: the verb thí, meaning "to dwell," and a pluralizing enclitic (a suffix-like ending that marks the subject of the verb as plural), pi, and means "they dwell." In Lakota, formal verbs can be used as nouns, and this is the case with thípi, which in practice just means "house." Lakota (also Lakhota, Teton, Teton Sioux) is the largest of the three languages of the Sioux, of the Siouan family. ... Look up plural in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In linguistics, a clitic is an element that has some of the properties of an independent word and some more typical of a bound morpheme. ...

Elements

Photograph of Crow lodge interior, 1907, showing the poles and outer skin at the top, the inner lining and bedding. The lashing rope is tied off to a wooden stake at the bottom of the photograph. Clothing is suspended on a line tied between two of the tipi poles

Tipis consist of four elements: a set of ten to twenty sapling poles (depending on the size of the tipi), a canvas or hide cover (the outer shape familiar from photographs), an optional inner canvas or skin lining, and a canvas or skin door. There may also be an optional partial ceiling. This was called an ozan, however, it is now found that the word ozan refers to the liner.^{[citation needed]} Ropes and pegs are required to bind the poles, close the cover, attach the lining and door, and anchor the resulting structure to the ground. Tipis are distinguished from other tents by two crucial innovations: the opening at the top and the smoke flaps, which allow the dweller to cook and heat themselves with an open fire, and the lining that is primarily used in the winter, which insulates while providing a source of fresh air to fire and dwellers. Tipis are designed to be easily set up to allow camps to be moved to follow game migrations, especially the bison. The long poles could be used to construct a dog- or later horse-pulled travois. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Crow indians (Karl Bodmer) The Crow, also called the Absaroka or Apsáalooke, are a tribe of Native Americans who historically lived in the Yellowstone River valley and now live on a reservation south of Billings, Montana. ... Species †B. antiquus B. bison B. bonasus †B. latifrons †B. occidentalis †B. priscus Bison in winter. ... Cheyenne family using a horse-drawn travois, 1890 A travois (from the French travail, a frame for restraining horses) is a frame used by Native Americans, notably the Plains Indians of North America, to drag loads over land. ...

Tipi covers are made by sewing together strips of canvas or hide and cutting out a semicircular shape from the resulting surface. Trimming this shape yields a door and the smoke flaps that allow the dwellers to control the chimney effect to expel smoke from their fires. Old style traditional linings were hides, blankets, and retangular pieces of cloth hanging about four to five feet above the ground tied to the poles or a rope. Today's modern lining is the most difficult element to measure, since it consists of trapezoid-shaped strips of canvas assembled to form the shape of a truncated cone. The poles, made of peeled, polished and dried tapering saplings, are cut to measure about six feet more than the radius of the cover. A semicircle of radius r. ... This article is about the architectural feature. ... // Commercially a smoke flap can take the form of a metal, tin, or other alloy and can be manipulatable by hand or lever, and appears in home chimneys, stoves, or boilers. ... Look up Chimney in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... An isosceles trapezoid and its axis of symmetry. ... This article is about an authentication, authorization, and accounting protocol. ...

Construction

Tipis painted by George Catlin, who visited a number of tribes in the 1830's and recorded Native American daily life

The construction of a tipi starts with tying together three of the poles at the skin's radius from their bases using a tripod lashing. One end of this lashing rope is left dangling from the tie-point, long enough to reach the base of the poles. These tripod poles are stood upright, with their unfastened ends spaced apart on the ground to form a triangle, each pole's base the skin's radius from its neighbors. A dozen more long poles are laid onto the three primary poles. Their upper ends rest on the lashing of the first three, and the lower ends are evenly spaced to form a circle on the ground which includes the original three poles. The lashing rope is then walked around the whole structure three times and pulled tight. This ties the placed poles to the tripod at the crown of the tipi. The canvas skin is tied to another pole, lifted up and the top of the pole is rested where all the poles meet. The skin is pulled around the pole framework. The overlap seam is closed with wooden lacing pins which are thin sticks about 10 inches long with one or both ends tapered. Sometimes a door is attached to one of the bottom lacing pins. In old tipis of hide or early cloth, the door was where the two sides came together in the front. A blanket, hide or cloth door was put over the opening to secure the entrance. (From user talk:MyRedDice), Yes, all my images are in public domain. ... (From user talk:MyRedDice), Yes, all my images are in public domain. ... George Catlin (1796 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania – December 23, 1872 in Jersey City, New Jersey) was an American painter who specialized in portraits of Native Americans in the Old West. ... // Events and Trends Electromagnetic induction discovered by Michael Faraday Dutch-speaking farmers known as Voortrekkers emigrate northwards from the Cape Colony Croquet invented in Ireland Railroad construction begins in earnest in the United States Egba refugees fleeing the Yoruba civil wars found the city of Abeokuta in south-west Nigeria... This article is about an authentication, authorization, and accounting protocol. ... A lashing is the use of a rope, that has been affixed by means of a hitch, for the purpose of holding two poles, staves or other rigid objects together. ... A lashing is the use of a rope, that has been affixed by means of a hitch, for the purpose of holding two poles, staves or other rigid objects together. ... Look up tripod in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A triangle. ... Dozen is another word for the number twelve. ... Circle illustration This article is about the shape and mathematical concept of circle. ... Seam may mean: A seam, in sewing, is the line where two or more layers of fabric are held together by thread. ...

The base of the skin is pegged to the ground. Traditionally pegs were placed in slits at the bottom of the cover. As canvas or cloth came into use, smooth pebbles were pushed into the cloth and a cord tied between the bulge of cloth and a wooden peg in the ground. A gap can be allowed at ground level for airflow in warm seasons and the base is completely closed to the ground in cooler times. The bases of the non-tripod poles are moved in or out to tension the skin. Inside the tipi, a cord is wrapped from pole to pole above head height. An inner lining can be suspended from this cord and pushed back on the ground near the inside base of the poles. Bedding and personal items are pushed against the liner to keep it in place. The inner lining acts as a heat insulator and draft and pest excluder. An interior awning which prevents rain drops hitting bedding can be suspended at the top of the lining. Sea wave polishing pebbles into rounded corners Pebbles For other uses, see Pebble (disambiguation). ... Tension may mean: In physics, tension is a force related to the stretching of a string or a similar object. ...

Decoration

Examples of painted tipi covers. From Paul Goble’s book, Tipi: Home of the Nomadic Buffalo Hunters, World Wisdom, 2007.

Most tipis in a village would not be painted. Those that were, were typically painted in accordance with traditional tribal designs and often featured geometric portrayals of celestial bodies and animal designs. Sometimes tipis were painted to depict personal experiences, such as war or hunting. In the case of a dream or vision quest, “ceremonies and prayers were first offered, and then the dreamer recounted his dream to the priests and wise men of the community… Those known to be skilled painters were consulted, and the new design was made to fit anonymously within the traditional framework of [the tribe’s] painted tipis.” ^[1] Paul Goble (1930-) is an award winning author and illustrator of childrens books, mostly Native American stories. ... World Wisdom is an independent publishing company established in 1980 in Bloomington, Indiana. ... ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

While most tipis were not painted, many were decorated with pendants and colored medallions. Traditionally these were embroidered with dyed porcupine quills, more modern versions are often beaded. Buffalo horns and tails, tufts of buffalo and horse hair, bear claws and buckskin fringe were also used to decorate tipi covers. These attachments are often referred to as “tipi ornaments” Species †B. antiquus B. bison B. bonasus †B. latifrons †B. occidentalis †B. priscus Bison in winter. ... Binomial name Equus caballus Linnaeus, 1758 The horse (Equus caballus, sometimes seen as a subspecies of the Wild Horse, Equus ferus caballus) is a large odd-toed ungulate mammal, one of ten modern species of the genus Equus. ... For other uses, see Bear (disambiguation). ... Buckskin is a color of horses; it also refers to other things that are the color of a buckskin horse, such as the color of some breeds of dogs. ...

Use

A tipi at a Rainbow Gathering

A small fire can be set in the center of the floor of the tipi for heat or cooking. The smoke exits the top of the tipi which is guarded by two adjustable smoke flaps set at right angles to the wind to prevent a downdraft. A draft rising between the cover and the lining adds to the chimney effect and helps carry the smoke up and out. The liner does add insulation in very cold weather when stuffed with grass and can direct the draft upwards and away from the occupants while still admitting fresh air. Air for combustion can be ducted to the fire through a buried pipe when the tipi is closed tightly against inclement weather. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1556x1438, 60 KB) Photograph by Dirk van der Made (user:DirkvdM). ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1556x1438, 60 KB) Photograph by Dirk van der Made (user:DirkvdM). ... Welcome home and We love you are common greetings at the Rainbow Gathering. ... Look up Chimney in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

In hot weather the lining may not be used, and the cover can be rolled up a few feet on one or two sides allowing any small breeze to create ventilation. Return inlet (left)Supply outlet (right). ...

A structure that requires a hole in the middle of the roof may not be the best shelter in times of intense rain, but there are strategies to reduce the problem. A hide or fabric ceiling can protect against dripping precipitation and reduce drafts. This ceiling, when used, typically only covers the back half of the tipi and is slanted slightly upwards to the front, draining water to the rear and allowing smoke from the fire to vent out of the top of the tipi. Small sticks between the lining rope and the poles can create a gap for rainwater running down the poles to reach the ground without being caught by and dripping off of the lining rope. Contemporary tipi-dwellers may tie a bucket beneath the crown, or install rubber barriers on the poles and a canvas rain-catcher which drains from the crown to the outside, to collect rain dripping off the crown of the poles. A fabric or hide rain cap can be placed over the top of the tipi if the poles are not too long but can cause damage in high winds. Historically these type of coverings were not used.

In strong winds the lashing rope is pegged to the ground behind the fire. This helps to keep the tipi poles from “walking”, lifting up under the force of the wind on the skin and coming down in a new position. In extreme winds the bases of the poles can be individually lashed to pegs. A tipi which is pegged and has had its lashing rope tied down is a remarkably wind-resistant cone.

See also

Tipis outside the Buffalo Bill Historical Center (Cody, Wyoming).

• Hogan
• Humpy
• Igloo
• Lavvu
• Longhouse
• Sibley tent
• Wigwam
• Yaranga
• Yurt
• Wigwam Motel

Teepees outside Cody Museum Taken 7/05/03 by Durwood Brandon. ... Teepees outside Cody Museum Taken 7/05/03 by Durwood Brandon. ... many types of hogans any articles owned by family set in or by the house Navajo winter hogan A hogan or hoghan (pronounced IPA or , from Navajo hooghan, ) is the primary traditional home of the Navajo people. ... A 19th century engraving showing Aboriginal people and humpy. ... Igloo An igloo (Inuit language: iglu, Inuktitut syllabics: ᐃᒡᓗ, house, plural: iglooit or igluit, but in English commonly igloos), translated sometimes as snowhouse, is a shelter constructed from blocks of snow, generally in the form of a dome. ... The lavvu is a temporary dwelling used by the Sami people of northern Scandinavia. ... In archaeology and anthropology, a long house or longhouse is a type of long, narrow single room building built by peoples in various parts of the world including Asia, Europe and North America. ... The Sibley tent or bell tent is a type of tent whose walls (about 3 ft. ... Apache wickiup, by Edward S. Curtis, 1903 A wigwam or wickiup is a domed single-room dwelling used by certain Native American tribes. ... Yaranga is a tent-like traditional mobile home of nomads of some Northern indigenous peoples of Russia, such as Chukchi. ... A Yurt is a portable felt dwelling structure used by nomads in the steppes of Central Asia. ... Wigwam Motel, Holbrook, AZ USA Individual Unit, Wigwam Motel, Holbrook, AZ USA Wigwams, Wigwam Motel, Holbrook, AZ USA Original Drawing for Wigwam Motel (Design) Patent 98,617 The 15 concrete and steel wigwams known as the Wigwam Motel, are distinctive landmarks on historic Route 66, and are still visible from...

References

• Laubin, Reginald, Gladys Laubin, (Tatanka Wanjila na Wiyaka Wastewin) and Stanley Vestal, "The Indian tipi : its history, construction, and use". 2nd ed., Norman, University of Oklahoma Press, 1957. LCCN 57005958 ISBN 0-8061-2236-6
• Holley, Linda A., Tipis | Tepees | Teepees: History, design, and evolution of the cloth tipi. Gibbs Smith, 2007 ISBN 978-1-58685-511-6
• Goble, Paul, "Tipi: Home of the Nomadic Buffalo Hunters". World Wisdom, 2007. ISBN 193331639X

Paul Goble (1930-) is an award winning author and illustrator of childrens books, mostly Native American stories. ... World Wisdom is an independent publishing company established in 1980 in Bloomington, Indiana. ...

External links and references

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Tipis

• History, construction, and evolution of tipis plus Photos and drawings

• Simply Differently.org: Tipi, tipi building resource, how-to manuals and online calculator for canvas lanes
• Tipi Instructions, a PDF document detailing the construction of a tipi.

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ...

Notes

1. ^ Goble, Paul (2007). Tipi: Home of the Nomadic Buffalo Hunters. USA: World Wisdom Books, 42. ISBN ISBN 193331639X.