Mid West and Plains - TeePee (tipi)

Probablly the best known example of portable architecture, the TeePee, is commonly found within the plains tribes of the Middle West . Teepees are an excellent example of not only portable architecture but also tensile structures. Constructed either with a three or four primary pole plan with secondary poles filling out the remainder of the structure, the teepee was easily broken down into parts and transported on the backs of dogs and later horses. The four pole teepee is thought to have originated with the Cree and brought to the plains in approximately 1600 A.D. The fabric portion of the teepee is constructed of 5 -7 tanned buffalo hides. Fully developed teepees were not true circles but more of an elliptical shape with the steeper rear side braced against prevailing westerly winds and the doorway facing the rising sun. When the plains Indians switched to horses, the teepees became more elaborate and decorative due to the horses ability to bare more weight. The exterior of teepees were often painted with sacred symbols and scenes of warfare.

Camps were aligned in a highly organized structure usually based on a circle with the eastern door open to the rising sun. The form has been likened to that of the stars in the sky or the base of a gigantic teepee with the door facing east.