Tipi

A tipi (also teepee, tepee) is a conical tent originally made of skins and popularised by the American Indians of the Great Plains. Today, they are usually covered in canvas and lived in by American Indian families attending Pow Wows or Encampments, teaching further generations of traditions. They are also used by historical reenactors and "back to earth" people, and in some places they are used for tourist lodgings.

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Tipis consist of four elements: a set of ten to fifteen sapling poles, a canvas or skin cover (the outer shape familiar from photographs), an inner canvas or skin lining, and a canvas or skin door. 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, which supplies a steady, controlled flow of fresh air to fire and dwellers in almost any weather. 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.

Tent: A tent is a shelter, consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over or attached to a frame of poles. It is fairly easy to assemble (pitch) or disassemble, and is usually portable. Tents may be attached to the ground with stakes and guy lines (ropes). Tents were first used by nomadic...

American Indians: REDIRECT American Indian...

Great Plains: :For the accounting software by the same name, see Great Plains (accounting)....