Tipi

A relatively lightweight, transportable, conically shaped dwelling primarily of American Indians of the Great Plains; its base was generally egglike in plan, with the narrower end of the base at the entrance. The framework consisted of heavy wood poles, fixed in the ground at their lower ends and lashed together at the top. This framework was covered with decorated waterproof animal skins, sewn together with sinew and secured to the ground by pegs driven through loops at the base of the cover. Another type of tipi, used by tribes in the eastern regions of America, had a domed rather than a conical framework consisting of branches bent over, tied together, and covered by bark or animal skins sewn together with sinew to provide a waterproof covering. Also spelled tepee or teepee.

Tipi, a conical skin tent best known from the Plains Indians but with historical roots from the indigenous people of the Arctic. All tipis have a central fire hearth, an east-facing entrance, and a place of honor opposite the door. Plains tipis are actually tilted cones, with a smoke-hole down a side with controllable flaps, and an interior lining for ventilation and insulation. Tipi covers historically were bison hide, but modern tipis use canvas. Plains tipis use either a three-or a four-pole framework overlain with additional poles as needed. Covers are stretched over the poles, staked, or weighted down with stones. Tipis were an excellent adaptation for hunting and gathering peoples who needed a light, transportable, yet durable residence.

Bibliography

Laubin, Reginald, and Gladys Laubin. The Indian Tipi: Its History, Construction, and Use. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1977. Originally published in 1955, it is the most complete book on the tipi available and contains excellent illustrations throughout.

Davis, Leslie, ed. From Microcosm to Macrocosm: Advances in Tipi Ring Investigation and Research. Edited by Leslie Davis. Plains Anthropologist 28–102, pt. 2, Memoir 19 (1983). Twenty-three papers investigate tipi use on the Great Plains from prehistory to the period after Euroamerican contact. Heavily illustrated.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: a native American tent; usually of conical shape
  Synonyms: tepee, teepee

A tipi of the Oglala Lakota, 1891.

Sioux tipi (watercolor by Karl Bodmer c.1833)

For other uses, see Tipi (disambiguation).

A tipi (also te(e)pee) is a conical tent traditionally made of animal skins or birch bark and popularised by 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" (a domed structure) is sometimes incorrectly used to refer to a tipi.

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 Plains Indians with their nomadic lifestyle.

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.

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 pluralising enclitic (a suffix-like ending that marks the subject of the verb as plural), pi, and means "they dwell". Lakota verbs can be used as nouns and this is the case with tʰípi, which in practice just means "house".

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