Facts about tepees

Answer 1

Tipi facts:

• The word tipi comes from the Lakota word meaning "they dwell". The Lakota name for a tipi-style lodge was tiikcheya, tipestola, wakeya, wizi, tiowa, wiowa or tikcheka. So "tipi" is not the Sioux word for tent, as many people incorrectly believe.
• Crow tipis were called ashi, Blackfoot ones were called moyis, Cheyenne ones were called xamaa-vee'e, Arapaho ones were called niiinón and Kiowa ones were called tou.
• Among all Plains tribes, most tipis were unpainted. Only chiefs and Holy men, or "pipeholders" (war party leaders) would own a painted lodge and the decoration could be handed down to a son or passed on to someone else for payment (usually in horses).
• Some Blackfoot lodges had broad painted bands around the lower edge, including white circles that represent puffball mushrooms - these were believed to be stars fallen from the sky and were sacred.
• Crow tipis were made with the longest poles of all the Plains tribes - these poles extended high above the lodge giving it the appearance of an hourglass.
• The Blackfoot, Crow, Sarsi, Hidatsa, Omaha, and Comanche used a framework of 4 tied poles against which all the other poles were laid; other Plains tribes used a basis of 3 tied poles.
• The ground plan of a tipi is often said to be round, but it was really egg-shaped.
• Tipis were not true cones, but were angled slightly against the prevailing wind.
• Smoke flaps were of different shapes according to the tribe. They could be adjusted by means of two additional poles to prevent smoke being blown back inside.
• In summer, the lower edge of the tipi cover was often rolled up to allow air to circulate. In winter it was pegged down or (historically) weighted with stones. Researchers have been able to identify very old camp grounds simply by the circles of stones left behind.
• A tipi cover would need to be replaced every 2 or 3 years, meaning that a constant supply of new buffalo hides was required for a hunting band's lodges.
• Lodge pole pines were used for the poles. They came from the Black Hills or the foothills of the Rockies.
• The circle was a sacred shape among native Americans, so camps were often erected with the tipis in a circle or a series of circles; inside each tipi the inmates slept in a circle around the edge.
• A war party sneaking up on a camp could tell immediately which tribe it belonged to (friend or enemy) by the style of the tipis and by their decoration.
• Plains tipis were much larger than most people appreciate; smaller versions were used by the tribes on the edges of the Plains.
• A small number of women working together could erect or dismantle a tipi in 15 or 20 minutes, including packing the poles onto horses to make travois or "drags" and folding up the cover into a small but heavy package.
• A liner about 5 feet tall was fixed around the lower part of the interior of the tipi; this kept condensation and drafts away.
• A small tipi took about 8 or 10 hides to make the cover; a large version needed 20 to 30.
• Because of the shortage (and cost) of buffalo hides today, tipis are now made with canvas covers.

Answer 2

Some interesting facts about teepees is that they were made with buffalo hide that had been tanned, sewn together, and braided together. The doorway flap was always positioned toward the east and two flaps were cut on the top section to allow smoke to escape when cooking.